Initial Note: I was trying to decide what kind of stuff I wanted to write here, and I feel like I could write to you, in a way that you like to hear from me, but I feel like that’s how we normally talk. I thought it might be cooler if I wrote about topics I think about when I’m thinking about whatever, and that would maybe give you more of an insight into me than just writing to you, which, at least verbally, you’re more familiar with.

I initially had thought of something to write about for this month, but can’t remember it anymore, so I’ve decided to think towards the upcoming month, rather than focus on the previous one. I was also

I’ve been thinking about completion-centric planning; in which planning is oriented, obviously, entirely around completing something, as opposed to just doing it.

For example, I’ve been spending a lot of time figuring out some research stuff, and have been learning random skills that might help me in the next step, but at the end of the day I’ll realize that while I managed to figure plenty of random stuff out, I’m not actually that much closer to completing any of the research outputs that I need to create.

Essentially, it’s asking myself “what’s the closest I can get to finishing this today”.

I’m not yet sure how I want to implement this new way to Fix My Life ™ but I think I want to try it every day for one week this month and see if it works!

Anyways, monthly favorites!

June Monthly Favorites

Article - Is Lambda Sentient?

Something to think about:

I thought this conversation became progressively more interesting, and it’s wild to realize we’re living in a time where something like this is happening - it feels like a conversation out of science fiction. It’s certainly convincing at first glance.

A few people offered counterpoints to the idea that it’s sentient.

“Of course, some in the broader AI community are considering the long-term possibility of sentient or general AI, but it doesn’t make sense to do so by anthropomorphizing today’s conversational models, which are not sentient,” Gabriel said. “These systems imitate the types of exchanges found in millions of sentences, and can riff on any fantastical topic.”

“Hundreds of researchers and engineers have conversed with LaMDA and we are not aware of anyone else making the wide-ranging assertions, or anthropomorphizing LaMDA, the way Blake has,” Gabriel said.

A linguistics professor interviewed by WaPo agreed that it’s incorrect to equate convincing written responses with sentience. “We now have machines that can mindlessly generate words, but we haven’t learned how to stop imagining a mind behind them,” said University of Washington professor Emily M. Bender.

Newsletter - Be an Asker - Ava

Something to feel about:

As always, I really liked her writing. She talks about the idea behind being an asker, and lays out her general rules for asking:

  1. If it’s very easy for the other person to say no (zero cost to them) and you’ll probably never see them again, ask whatever you want (politely)

  2. If it’s something like asking someone to hang out, I think it’s okay to ask two times if the person is unresponsive/gives a neutral response. After that, cut your losses.

  3. If you really, really want to press your case, I would say something like, “Letting you know that I really do want to meet up, and may follow up occasionally to see if you feel the same way. Is that okay?” Do not abuse this (for example, checking in once again after eight months is probably fine, and if they still seem uninterested just drop it).

  4. Never get upset at someone for saying no. You don’t “deserve” an answer. The truth is, people who don’t know you don’t owe anything to you, and even people who know you really well are free to prioritize themselves (though you may want to rethink the relationship if they don’t seem to care about you, obviously).

Quote - I thought this quote was interesting, especially in the context of spaces. There’s an episode of House, MD in which the point is made that life is just a collection of rooms we live in, and we move from room to room living it out.

Something to sleep on:

“On your deathbed, you would do anything, pay anything for one more ordinary evening. For one more car ride to school with your children. For one more juicy peach. For one more hour on a park bench. Yet here you are, experiencing any number of those things, and rushing through it. Or brushing it off. Or complaining about it because it’s hot or there is traffic or because of some alert that just popped up on your phone. Or planning some special thing in the future as if that’s what will make you happy. You can’t add more at the end of your life…but you can not waste what’s in front of you right now.”

Favorite Song: Situation - Jonathan McReynolds

I had a patient who wanted to listen to prayer music during his surgery, and one of the songs that played was this one. The chorus is right down here, but I really liked the message of the song. It embraces the part of religion that often calls for us to renounce our worries to a higher power, and reframes prayer from a thing of asking for things, to a space where we share our live with whatever higher being we believe in. I like this approach to religion a lot more, particularly because it’s always felt …odd for me to pray and ask for certain things from a God that I’m meant to believe should already know I want this thing. This alternative seems more reasonable to me, and it’s a sentiment that I’ve heard in all religions I’ve been exposed to.

I’m not asking for an outcome Or praying for results I’m not hoping that it all goes Exactly how I want No, I’m not asking You to do it Or asking that You don’t

I’m just inviting You to my situation

Favorite Room: I really liked this piece because we’ve been thinking about spaces a lot, and what makes spaces pretty and aesthetic, comfortable and soft, well lit and open, and cozy and safe, but we haven’t talked too much about what makes places feel like home. I think that all of these qualities add to “home” but more than that, it’s the life we fill in it, whether that’s people or pets, plants or food, that add to the homey-ness.

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Love, Aditya