First, sometimes the lighting is terrible if you look. Like shadows going one way for some objects, another way for others.

But generative AI is generally extrapolating from its training data. It gets lighting right (when it does) because it’s processed a giant number of images, and when you tell it you want a picture of a puppy on the beach at sunset, it’s got a million pictures of puppies, and a million pictures of things on the beach at sunset. It doesn’t know if it’s right or not, but it’s mimicking those things.

That all makes perfect sense, and I think you’re spot on.

There’s another factor I’ve noticed, too. Like I said, I’m a manager. Honestly, when I’m home, I get more done because there’s fewer interruptions. But many of those interruptions are employees popping in to talk to me. Sometimes they just want to say hi or whatever, but not infrequently it starts with “Hey, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about…” and they tell me about some issue or something going on. They could email/message/call me about those things, but often they just don’t.

So I think my job as a manager is more effective when we can talk face to face. I go into the office three days a week.

I have mixed emotions about it. I manage a software engineering team at an aerospace company. I do see some increased quality and productivity when folks who work together and colocated. But there are tradeoffs, and happier employees for sure needs to be in the trade. Our company has sites in different states, and for years and years we’ve grabbed the skills we need from wherever they are. That is, we’ve recognized that it’s workable to have at least some people not colocated, and are willing to take that hit if it buys us something.

We were nearly 100% remote for the better part of two years, and it was fine. Our productivity was at least adequate. My personal feeling is that a hybrid arrangement, where everyone has some overlapping days, is the sweet spot. But I’ve fought for individuals being fully remote when it made sense.

The article says the “or else” was that they’d become ineligible for promotion, and half decided to do it anyway. So they didn’t lose their job.

The concept predate that though.

I still think, when people today talk about the multiverse, they usually mean not just parallel universes, but parallel timelines. Like in the MCU where there are all sorts of different versions of earth, but most are pretty recognizable. I realize the definition doesn’t depend on that, but it seems to be the common usage.

Plato did talk about other universes, but it was more like planes of existence. Sort of like the concepts of heaven and hell in a way. A key element, to me, of the multiverse is that it’s variant timelines, not just another realm.

There was a novel in the early 30s called “Sideways in Time” that talked about not just going forward and backward in time, but also sideways.

You could make an argument that the early 20s HG Wells story “Men Like Gods” did it earlier. It has a branch in time with the two paths existing simultaneously.

Oh, the other bad news: they seem good at finding their way into the house, so a lot of the bites we’ve gotten have been inside. Who wants to sit on the couch covered in DEET?

Also, one mosquito will bite multiple times. They really suck (no pun intended).

If/when they get there, the only things that we’ve found that help are fans (because they aren’t strong flyers, you can blow them away) and those mosquito catchers that lure them in with heat, light, and CO2. Actually DEET works well, but we don’t really want to cover ourselves with it everyday.

Man, e got those here in southern California a few years back. They are so awful! They can breed in tiny amounts of water, like what’s in a cupped leaf on the ground. They don’t just bite at dusk, they do it anytime of the day or night. They aren’t great flyers, so they tend to bite your ankles or lower leg if they can. And their bites are horrendous - super itchy, big welts.

You’ve got the answer to the question, and I’m late to the party, but here’s a helpful graphic that also shows the inner and outer color band angles.

I understand she’s the one using it, that doesn’t change the fact that, in my opinion, it’s not a good word for communication because different people been different things by it. For purposes of this discussion, I thought it would be better to avoid it. It’s like “conservative;” by itself it’s almost useless because people mean so many things by it.

Wow, where did that come from? I said I feel that word is losing meaning, not that you used it incorrectly. Instead of discussing what neoliberalism is/isn’t, I just posted a reference to her main ideals, which I thought would be more helpful. Not sure why you’re responding with claws out.

“Neoliberalism” is one of those terms that’s starting to lose meaning because different people use it to mean different things. I’m not an expert on her, but from what I’ve read, her views seem pretty vanilla progressive to me. Here’s what Wikipedia says about them:

Social issues

Sheinbaum has openly identified herself as a feminist, aligning her beliefs and actions with the principles of gender equality and women’s rights.[73] She advocates for the legalization of abortion, aligning her stance with broader movements aimed at promoting reproductive rights and autonomy for women.[74] During her leadership in Mexico City, Sheinbaum championed LGBT rights by implementing a gender-neutral policy for school uniforms.[75] In 2022, she became the first Head of Government of Mexico City to attend the city’s pride march.[76] Economy

Sheinbaum has criticized the neoliberal economic policies of past presidents of Mexico, arguing that they have contributed to inequality in the country.[77] She has promised to expand welfare under her presidency[78] and intends to continue programs started by Obrador, such as universal pension.[79] Climate

Sheinbaum has a background in environmental policy, having served as environment secretary for Mexico City and worked on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). [80] She has both spoken in favor of clean energy and praised Mexico’s largest oil company.[72]

This is great news. Mexico has been enjoying some increasingly progressive policies that are very popular. The more progressing candidate won by a huge margin.

If only they could get the drug cartel situation sorted out, but that’s no easy deal.

It’s very cool. The race was between a climate scientist and a software engineer, both women. The climate scientist was much more liberal and won by a huge margin. Really good news all around, I’m jealous.

I don’t know who originally said it, but “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” That is, it’s okay to go overboard on something as long as that’s an exception, not a norm. Want to eat a whole carton of ice cream? It’s not going to kill you if you do it, as long as you don’t do it every weekend. Enjoy stuff, don’t be excessive generally, but the rare occasion is just fine.

Note: there are, of course, exceptions. You probably don’t want to try even a little black tar heroin unless you’re okay with the risk of becoming an addict.

That one is good and much needed.

That one bugs me. Should require an engineering degree.

In college, I worked at a little aerospace manufacturing place running an NC milling machine, and I really like the smell of the cutting oil/lubricant they spray on the rotating cutters. I now work in software engineering at a company that makes rocket engines, and I like walking through the shop and smelling that smell.