this post was submitted on 23 May 2024
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TechTakes

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Big brain tech dude got yet another clueless take over at HackerNews etc? Here's the place to vent. Orange site, VC foolishness, all welcome.

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I see Google's deal with Reddit is going just great...

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[–] [email protected] 77 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Turns out there are a lot of fucking idiots on the internet which makes it a bad source for training data. How could we have possibly known?

[–] [email protected] 48 points 6 months ago (3 children)

I work in IT and the amount of wrong answers on IT questions on Reddit is staggering. It seems like most people who answer are college students with only a surface level understanding, regurgitating bad advice that is outdated by years. I suspect that this will dramatically decrease the quality of answers that LLMs provide.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (2 children)

It's often the same for science, though there are actual experts who occasionally weigh in too.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You can usually detect those by the number of downvotes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Not really. A lot of surface level correct, but deeply wrong answers, get upvotes on Reddit. It’s a lot of people seeing it and “oh, I knew that!” discourse.

Like when Reddit was all suddenly experts on CFD and Fluid Dynamics because they knew what a video of laminar flow was.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's what I meant. I have seen actual M.D.s being downvoted even after providing proof of their profession. Just because they told people what they didn't want to hear.
I guess that's human nature.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I get you. Didn’t mean to come across as a “that guy”. So completely agree with you. The laminar flow Reddit shit infuriated me because I have my masters in Mech Eng and used to do a lot of CFD. People were talking out of their ass on “I know laminar flow!”

Well, see, it’s more than that. It’s not just a visual thing and…

“Ahhhh! I know laminar flow! Downvote the heretic!”

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

@Ragnarok314159

Sir… sir... SIR. I'll have you know that I, too, have seen laminar flow in the stream from a faucet. I’ll not have my qualifications dismissed so haughtily.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

My least favorite is when people claim a deep understanding while only having a surface-level understanding. I don't mind a '70% correct' answer so long as it's not presented as '100% truth.'

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

“I got a B in physics 101, so now let me explain CERN level stuff. It’s not hard, bro.”

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

I was able to delete most of the engineering/science questions on Reddit I answered before they permabanned my account. I didn’t want my stuff used for their bullshit. Fuck Reddit.

I don’t mind answering another human and have other people read it, but training AI just seemed like a step too far.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago
[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Hey, buddy, some of us are smartarses, not idiots!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

I am simultaneously a smartass and a dumbass.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Hey! Speak for yourself!

I for one am totally an idiot!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago