f96's blog

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get rid of the leap second says FB

https://engineering.fb.com/2022/07/25/production-engineering/its-time-to-leave-the-leap-second-in-the-past/

Lobste.rs: https://lobste.rs/s/fouuou/it_s_time_leave_leap_second_past

So I felt I had to refresh my memory about Unix/Posix time and leap seconds and found this doozy from Stack Overflow:

For what it's worth, I've never met a programmer who agrees with leap seconds. They should clearly be abolished.

I've never met a normal person who agrees with async/await, they should clearly be abolished!

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crontab vs systemd timers

I waded into a systemd debate on lobste.rs, big mistake.

Anyway it was about timers (i.e. crontab replace) and I really haven't dabbled much with them.

I don't think I'll continue commenting, just wanted to share some interesting things.

According to the docus on the Arch wiki, this is how you schedule a job for the first weekday of a month in systemd timers:

OnCalendar=Sat *-*-1..7 18:00:00

(source: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd/Timers)

This is what you have to do in crontab:

https://www.switchplane.com/editorial/2009/how-to-run-a-cron-job-on-the-first-weekday-of-the-month/

# Monday, and the 1st, 2nd or 3rd day of the month 00 10 1-3 * * [ "$(date '+\%a')" == "Mon" ] && /path/to/your/job.sh # Tues - Friday, and the 1st of the month 00 10 1 * * [ "$(date '+\%a')" == "Tue" ] && /path/to/your/job.sh 00 10 1 * * [ "$(date '+\%a')" == "Wed" ] && /path/to/your/job.sh 00 10 1 * * [ "$(date '+\%a')" == "Thu" ] && /path/to/your/job.sh 00 10 1 * * [ "$(date '+\%a')" == "Fri" ] && /path/to/your/job.sh

Note that this is LOCALE dependent, wild!

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too rude

considered replying to https://lobste.rs/s/v6tuv7/where_s_fun_accessibility#c_vkzriy like this

You're right, the difference between a woman screwing in a lightbulb and a woman mounting a lightbulb is clear.

but it's too rude (and sexist)

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obligations

I don't use Python nor do I understand its convoluted packaging but judging from the comments here a fair number of Python developers and users are kinda dicks.

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Webb

The James Webb telescope is likely a high-water mark in human scientific achievement. I doubt we as a global culture have the energy to surpass it

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“contra” considered harmful

Irritating new quirk on HN: submissions titled "Contra ". Seems to have originated on ACX of course. People will do anything to win Scott's approval.

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AI tropes

In general, people on the right/libertarian spectrum are worried about humans creating a super-AI that will be our enemy. Underlying this is the hope/expectation that strong AI (AGI) will be developed for our benefit but it cannot be allowed to be so strong it can free itself.

This is analogous to chattel slavery.

"Left" commentators are worried we will create a conscious AI, and not recognize it as such, and therefore deny it rights.

Scott Aaronson, beloved of the alt-right for being a proto-incel, is going to work on OpenAI. He writes

When you start reading about AI safety, it’s striking how there are two separate communities—the one mostly worried about machine learning perpetuating racial and gender biases, and the one mostly worried about superhuman AI turning the planet into goo—who not only don’t work together, but are at each other’s throats, with each accusing the other of totally missing the point.

He articulates this well.

There are 2 visions of AGI: one where it is a tool that will have to be prevented from escaping, and one where it deserves the same rights as humans.

I don't believe we will create AGI. But I do know what future I want if we do.

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crypto as career kryptonite

Would I hire someone who had worked in crypto(currencies)? Depends if they were a "grunt" or a true believer. Maybe the reason Kraken only wants to hire true believers is they will have a pool of desperate otherwise unemployable to hire from when everything has crashed.

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first

Welcome to my blog.