John B
@jb-notes.bsky.social
software guy, appreciator of nature, maker of widgets and measurements
I asked if LLMs losing focus after a thread of work had run on a while, was like humans needing sleep.
Chat: "...for LLMs, _you_ are the garbage collector."
Truer words were never printed, chat.
Chat: "...for LLMs, _you_ are the garbage collector."
Truer words were never printed, chat.
December 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
I asked if LLMs losing focus after a thread of work had run on a while, was like humans needing sleep.
Chat: "...for LLMs, _you_ are the garbage collector."
Truer words were never printed, chat.
Chat: "...for LLMs, _you_ are the garbage collector."
Truer words were never printed, chat.
With nearly half a year of data, a histogram of car speeds past my house shows a slightly non-gaussian shape. I labelled the residuals according to my guess about driver thinking.
November 10, 2025 at 3:33 AM
With nearly half a year of data, a histogram of car speeds past my house shows a slightly non-gaussian shape. I labelled the residuals according to my guess about driver thinking.
The event in Twisp WA at 940 people reached 85% of the town's whole population (1100), not counting tourists and surrounding area. Yet Okanogan county leans Republican. mvexaminer.com/methow-news/...
Over 900 Protesters Turn Out for 'No Kings' Rally in Twisp Despite Cold Weather - Methow Valley Examiner
About 940 protesters attended the 'No Kings' rally in Twisp on Saturday, which went peacefully.
mvexaminer.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
The event in Twisp WA at 940 people reached 85% of the town's whole population (1100), not counting tourists and surrounding area. Yet Okanogan county leans Republican. mvexaminer.com/methow-news/...
The full article is way more cautious than the headline. But still. www.earth.com/news/nasa-an...
NASA announces discovery of life on Mars with high degree of confidence
NASA’s Mars rover finds organic signals in mudstone that resemble microbial activity, sparking new debate over life on the Red Planet.
www.earth.com
September 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
The full article is way more cautious than the headline. But still. www.earth.com/news/nasa-an...
Prior to 2025, US has not killed non-combatants with contraband in international waters since USCG killed one crew on a rum runner in 1929. There was a tribunal, and the US lost. Are choices different, if we expect no burden of proof?
September 5, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Prior to 2025, US has not killed non-combatants with contraband in international waters since USCG killed one crew on a rum runner in 1929. There was a tribunal, and the US lost. Are choices different, if we expect no burden of proof?
The gov't announced today that AI must be free of ideological bias. That requires comparison against an unbiased standard. I am wondering what person, group, or organization of any kind is not currently accused of bias? -some no doubt unfairly, but how would you prove it?
July 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
The gov't announced today that AI must be free of ideological bias. That requires comparison against an unbiased standard. I am wondering what person, group, or organization of any kind is not currently accused of bias? -some no doubt unfairly, but how would you prove it?
Dubious antenna supports, part 2.
July 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Dubious antenna supports, part 2.
More than one AI often remarks "This is a classic case of <X>". This reminds me of the Vizzini character in "The Princess Bride" who is, conceivably, just a bit overconfident.
July 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
More than one AI often remarks "This is a classic case of <X>". This reminds me of the Vizzini character in "The Princess Bride" who is, conceivably, just a bit overconfident.
There are some experiments that we really did try. Maybe we should remember what was learned. www.npr.org/sections/the...
When The U.S. Government Tried To Replace Migrant Farmworkers With High Schoolers
In 1964, a program that brought migrant Mexican laborers to the U.S. ended. So the U.S. recruited American students to pick crops instead. When they saw their living conditions, strikes ensued.
www.npr.org
July 8, 2025 at 7:08 PM
There are some experiments that we really did try. Maybe we should remember what was learned. www.npr.org/sections/the...
If it is true that renaming a ship leads to bad luck, I have an idea why: it means the ship owner is not really focused on running the ship.
July 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
If it is true that renaming a ship leads to bad luck, I have an idea why: it means the ship owner is not really focused on running the ship.
"I'm going to be up for awhile..."
Josh Turner's cover of Paul Simon here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoP...
Josh Turner's cover of Paul Simon here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoP...
July 3, 2025 at 6:43 PM
"I'm going to be up for awhile..."
Josh Turner's cover of Paul Simon here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoP...
Josh Turner's cover of Paul Simon here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoP...
Companies stopping $15.5 billion that was expected to create 12,000 new jobs. Mostly in Republican districts with over $9 billion and approx. 10,000 jobs lost due to canceled, delayed, or closed projects. Is this a win? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Clean-Energy Project Cancellations Hit GOP Districts Hardest
Clean energy investments in the US are shrinking fast amid the rollback of tax incentives and policy uncertainties under President Donald Trump’s administration, with Republican districts hardest hit.
www.bloomberg.com
June 23, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Companies stopping $15.5 billion that was expected to create 12,000 new jobs. Mostly in Republican districts with over $9 billion and approx. 10,000 jobs lost due to canceled, delayed, or closed projects. Is this a win? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
If you think ChatGPT is a useful tool- which I do- just keep this experience in mind, as well... it is quite a read. Thanks to T. for the link. amandaguinzburg.substack.com/p/diabolus-e...
June 3, 2025 at 10:00 PM
If you think ChatGPT is a useful tool- which I do- just keep this experience in mind, as well... it is quite a read. Thanks to T. for the link. amandaguinzburg.substack.com/p/diabolus-e...
Tried ChatGPT "Data Analyst" on simple(?) task. Result: AI falls down stairs, hitting head on every step. After ~8 corrections of obvious logical contradictions, did get it right, and generated Python to run the analysis. So maybe AI gets the last laugh.
May 27, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Tried ChatGPT "Data Analyst" on simple(?) task. Result: AI falls down stairs, hitting head on every step. After ~8 corrections of obvious logical contradictions, did get it right, and generated Python to run the analysis. So maybe AI gets the last laugh.
Opened up my laptop this morning and apparently, it's all bad.
March 12, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Opened up my laptop this morning and apparently, it's all bad.
With one sensor, it's hard to know what might be just noise. With two separate sensors, you may find out it was pretty much all real.
March 1, 2025 at 10:16 PM
With one sensor, it's hard to know what might be just noise. With two separate sensors, you may find out it was pretty much all real.
It was a quiet day in John's hometown, and he was a dull enough fellow to tell you precisely how quiet it was, at least for frequencies below 10 Hz.
February 17, 2025 at 12:51 AM
It was a quiet day in John's hometown, and he was a dull enough fellow to tell you precisely how quiet it was, at least for frequencies below 10 Hz.
When I asked my 8th grader how long this flexure-pivot pendulum would keep swinging, she guessed "forever" which isn't completely wrong. Walking past it deflects the floor enough to visibly kick up the swing. Background seismic activity (and air currents) keep it moving slightly.
January 4, 2025 at 7:26 AM
When I asked my 8th grader how long this flexure-pivot pendulum would keep swinging, she guessed "forever" which isn't completely wrong. Walking past it deflects the floor enough to visibly kick up the swing. Background seismic activity (and air currents) keep it moving slightly.
When a neighbor's tree fell last night, it seems my DIY tilt-meter on my foundation slab detected a shift in the local vertical. A small one: about 0.000042 degrees. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1LZ...
Tree falls during light rain, result is measurable
YouTube video by John Beale
www.youtube.com
December 29, 2024 at 8:49 PM
When a neighbor's tree fell last night, it seems my DIY tilt-meter on my foundation slab detected a shift in the local vertical. A small one: about 0.000042 degrees. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1LZ...
Playing around with laser interference. I remember when any coherent light required a fair amount of money and hassle.
November 25, 2024 at 6:04 AM
Playing around with laser interference. I remember when any coherent light required a fair amount of money and hassle.
On foreign vendor's site: "We care about our important customers." Seems like a surprisingly candid admission.
November 21, 2024 at 11:53 PM
On foreign vendor's site: "We care about our important customers." Seems like a surprisingly candid admission.
Full moon last night (Nov. 15). Better than some other times I've tried, despite some hazy overcast.
November 16, 2024 at 11:22 PM
Full moon last night (Nov. 15). Better than some other times I've tried, despite some hazy overcast.
Sun on the leaves of a Copper Beech near Portland OR.
November 15, 2024 at 9:08 PM
Sun on the leaves of a Copper Beech near Portland OR.