victor
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ifvictr.com
victor
@ifvictr.com
reverse-engineer all the things
thanks for reminding me to reread dark forest theory of the internet www.ystrickler.com/the-dark-for...
The dark forest theory of the internet
In his sci-fi trilogy The Three Body Problem, author Liu Cixin presents the dark forest theory of the universe. When we look out into space, the theory goes, we’re struck by its silence. It seems lik...
www.ystrickler.com
May 7, 2025 at 7:17 AM
samo burja called this unwritten knowledge “intellectual dark matter”. his essays and talks on this are quite interesting
February 25, 2025 at 1:20 AM
was she referring to any specific tool?
February 13, 2025 at 8:23 PM
love the vibe of all the art you’ve posted so far! where are you finding them?
February 9, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Reposted by victor
i’m less interested in what the machines say and more interested in what they get other people to say. they’re good at surfacing unknown knowns
February 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
i’m less interested in what the machines say and more interested in what they get other people to say. they’re good at surfacing unknown knowns
February 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
works the other way around too. tiktok updated their messaging in the app to highlight his involvement in the policy change. they’re essentially locking him in by setting public expectations that’ll make it hard to make a significant pivot without taking a hit to credibility
January 19, 2025 at 8:10 PM
the dev community (well the vocal ones at least) seems ideologically homogeneous and that’s a bad thing in the long term
December 21, 2024 at 10:27 PM
my worry is that the network’s vulnerable if a critical mass of devs ever stage a protest and take their tools hostage for an extended period of time when there’s a mod decision they disagree with.

reminds of all the subreddits going dark in 2023 to protest reddit’s changes to API pricing
December 21, 2024 at 10:25 PM
might depend on the feed you primarily use, but it makes the entire place feel cozier?

bsky.app/profile/ifvi...
i think it’s downstream of custom feeds fostering a more fragmented userbase and limiting potential for hypervirality. the default Discover feed exists, but it’s not overarching in the way For You is on X
December 21, 2024 at 8:38 PM
single-bit error by ken liu is a story about memory and how it shapes identity, relationships and faith. follows the protagonist who’s a database programmer. originally written in chinese, but was translated into english!

kenliu.name/stories/sing...
Single-Bit Error
kenliu.name
December 21, 2024 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by victor
good observation about cartography. 2D vector maps make sense from a performance and cost standpoint, but that invitation to explore the world gets stripped away, and people end up being less curious by default.

i wonder how much impact switching the default to satellite imagery would have
December 6, 2024 at 5:20 AM
is this hardcoded into the algos or just revealed user preferences?
December 13, 2024 at 2:30 AM
people didn’t know what the simcluster algo was nor did they appreciate the work it did until elon removed it…
December 12, 2024 at 9:36 PM
i think it’s downstream of custom feeds fostering a more fragmented userbase and limiting potential for hypervirality. the default Discover feed exists, but it’s not overarching in the way For You is on X
December 12, 2024 at 9:28 PM
ended up pulling the trigger on it the other day—now we wait! in the meantime, know of any other writings on or adjacent to the topic that you’d recommend?
December 12, 2024 at 4:23 PM
one or two well-placed cold emails can do a lot for many people’s lives, so it’s a bit disappointing to see such a negative visceral reaction towards them
December 12, 2024 at 1:50 AM
i’ve found it very effective to get a helping hand from a friend to kickstart that momentum, really helps that they’re not weighed down by inertia
December 11, 2024 at 7:46 PM
i would love to play around with custom filters for replies… bsky.app/profile/ifvi...
kinds of replies i’d like to hide:
- one emoji replies from people i don’t follow
- mean-spirited
- captain obvious, glaringly self-evident, nothing insightful
December 11, 2024 at 2:28 AM
i read yancey, venkatesh, and maggie’s essays on their respective sites and enjoyed them. i’m considering getting the book now for the other essays—how did you like them?
December 11, 2024 at 12:15 AM
yes, LLMs should be used to “sand down” your thinking bsky.app/profile/ifvi...
i use them to:
- sand down my raw thoughts
- revisit past social interactions to surface any nuances/patterns
- run simulations of novel situations so i know how to navigate them when they actually happen. it’s a sandbox for decision-making and strategizing in the form of a text adventure game
December 9, 2024 at 6:27 PM
i visit around twice a week and find there’s always a lot of thoughtful discussion of tech and niche hobbies. very cozy vibes.

miss me with the political discussion though
December 9, 2024 at 6:22 PM
in my experience i’ve found this to be true and it also applies to who ends up meeting irl

related:
December 9, 2024 at 5:53 PM
obligatory
December 9, 2024 at 8:35 AM
some replies i’d like to boost:
- from people i don’t follow yet who have replied to me that i liked/reposted
- insightful, novel
- contains a neologism
December 8, 2024 at 8:07 PM