Voted
This year the polling place was a church. It was full. The atmosphere was festive, with everybody laughing and talking. There was no electronic voting, but only Scantron-type paper ballots to be marked with provided ballpoint pens.
For All the Saints
There are more verses of “For All the Saints.”
Happy Columbus Day!
Today is the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America on October 12th 1492.
Michaelmas
It’s today! Have a good one.
Math quiz
Inflation soars to an over 40-year high. These are the ways Americans are coping:
Clay Watkins loves LaCroix brand sparkling water — especially the watermelon flavor.
So the suburban Chicago school teacher was excited when he spotted it on sale at his local grocery store: two packages for $8.
“I went to grab the package and I was like, ‘Wait a second,'” Watkins recalls.
He was surprised to find a package that once held 12 cans of sparkling water had been downsized to 8 — with no change in price — a common practice known as “shrinkflation.”
“I’m not a mathematician,” he says. “I teach science. But I think that’s a 33% price increase.”
What do you think?
Some sort of AI milestone
Happy Easter!
How to fix the AI
Computer Scientist: “Problem, boss. Turns out that new multi-million-dollar AI is outputting racist results.”
Boss: “Well, tell it to knock it off.”
Computer Scientist: “What do you mean?”
Boss: “How did you figure out the results were racist?”
Computer Scientist: “We asked it for a list of candidates to interview, and it returned a list of ten Asian men. ”
Boss: “Instead of?”
Computer Scientist: “Well, instead of a diverse list.”
Boss: “What’s diverse?”
Computer Scientist: “Uh, two Asians, five people of color, and three people of Hispanic heritage.”
Boss: “Tell the AI to return a list of two Asians, five people of color, and three people of Hispanic heritage.”
Computer Scientist: “That makes it sound like the AI is just a computer program.”
Boss: “Don’t tell the customers, but it is just a computer program.”
UPDATE 10 April 2022: Paul Graham on heresy. I’ve saved a copy locally, just in case.
Our Lady of Sorrows — Quasi Renaissance Man
I was happy to hear father use the optional collect for Our Lady of Sorrows this morning: O God, who in this seasongive your Church the graceto imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Maryin contemplating the Passion of Christ,grant, we pray, through her intercession,that we may cling more firmly each dayto your Only Begotten Sonand come […]
Our Lady of Sorrows — Quasi Renaissance Man