Damus

Recent Notes

Lindsey Kuper profile picture
Apparently the prospective students have changed their email approach from "write in a resoundingly hollow and stilted style to sound 'academic' and 'professional'" to "write to sound like a LinkedIn post made by an insufferable tool".
1
Lindsey Kuper · 6w
This is so cringe. Did they prompt the LLM with "IMPORTANT: make me sound like an insufferable tool"? They're really nailing that whole pushy-and-obsequious-at-the-same-time thing. https://recurse.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/376/885/942/096/107/original/a468cdd84fac293b.png
Anil Madhavapeddy · 6w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq53xcxrd8ssu62m63v45frt2th3qjvfj4c4t3mvf0k7dz6amr2afst0pxx0 there are adorable puppies wandering around the campus! Why don't we have adorable puppies wandering around Cambridge, I ask
Lindsey Kuper profile picture
Sylvia just pointed out to me that there's insufficient information to solve this problem, because "8 get on the bus" doesn't specify that the 8 who get on the bus are people and not cats.

1
Dan Ports · 9w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq53xcxrd8ssu62m63v45frt2th3qjvfj4c4t3mvf0k7dz6amr2afst0pxx0 very pleased to see Sylvia's commitment to strong type checking
Lindsey Kuper profile picture
I'm in awe of how Afroman played this. This is someone who knows how to control the narrative. https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/116251155620526484

Look at what he's wearing. He doesn't want *any* of your respectability politics. And what are they gonna do? Find him in contempt of court? He's wearing the flag!

It's not a joke, either. He's there to remind you of your First Amendment rights.

White moms are singing "lemon pound cake" to themselves as they drop off their kids at school today. (it's me, I'm white moms)
1
Soldier of FORTRAN :ReBoot:​ · 9w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq53xcxrd8ssu62m63v45frt2th3qjvfj4c4t3mvf0k7dz6amr2afst0pxx0 nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpql20h3kyqwnvxgvn2acujxtwjl4hztzcpqj4x45wkyx59sy97jwyq2wz3lm I still have his song about randy stuck in my head
Lindsey Kuper · 10w
another thing about this whole CS-professors-using-LLMs discussion is that I've been hearing some of my colleagues excitedly say things like, "now that LLMs can generate good code, I don't need grad s...
Lindsey Kuper profile picture
I don't think this is LLMs' fault -- it's revealing something that was already rotten about academia, especially STEM academia. I hate the way we talk about grad students. I don't use the word "trainees" -- it grosses me out. You train *dogs* (or LLMs). You *advise* students. My students are for the most part more capable than me at research -- if not from day one, then certainly after a couple years. My job is to keep the lights on and provide the occasional grizzled-old-timer perspective.
Lindsey Kuper profile picture
another thing about this whole CS-professors-using-LLMs discussion is that I've been hearing some of my colleagues excitedly say things like, "now that LLMs can generate good code, I don't need grad students anymore!", which horrifies me because of what it implies about how they thought of grad students this whole time: as code generation machines, I guess?
2
Lindsey Kuper · 10w
I don't think this is LLMs' fault -- it's revealing something that was already rotten about academia, especially STEM academia. I hate the way we talk about grad students. I don't use the word "trainees" -- it grosses me out. You train *dogs* (or LLMs). You *advise* students. My students are for the...
Dan Ports · 10w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq53xcxrd8ssu62m63v45frt2th3qjvfj4c4t3mvf0k7dz6amr2afst0pxx0 I am reminded of a faculty candidate I saw once who referred to grad students as interchangeable work units... in a meeting with grad students during his interview.
Ray Lee · 14w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq53xcxrd8ssu62m63v45frt2th3qjvfj4c4t3mvf0k7dz6amr2afst0pxx0 Oops, I now see that was ambiguous. Edited to clarify!