#distillation

[ruelle24]

rosa multiflora pour distiller ..

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[ruelle24]

lavandula dentata pour distiller ..

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[the-wisper-report]

The Distilled Heart of It All

I’ve come across an article today that’s making me tilt my head a little. This isn’t uncommon, I might add. Very often I come across news that makes me wonder what people are thinking or expecting. I’ve talked about naivety in development teams before. This particular article is from TechCrunch, and is actually about Elon Musk’s recent testimony regarding how xAI was taught in his ongoing suit against OpenAI. His claim is that the company has violated its mission statement to be nonprofit, but has instead shifted towards a for-profit structure. Personally, I think this is a spurious reason to sue; we live in capitalism. The entire point of which is to make a profit. And it’s not like there aren’t free versions of these models available currently.

What caught my eye was the discussion in the testimony about distillation, which is where third party entities train their models on publicly accessible ones, like OpenAI and Anthropic, then market them at a significantly lower price. Musk went on to assert that it’s a ‘general practice among AI companies’, while trying to wiggle out of saying yes to the question of whether Grok was trained this way. Regardless of the testimony and lawsuit, the chemist in me perked up on a day when every other headline on my usual news feed seems to be some variation of ‘same vulnerabilities, new target’. (I get bored reporting on the same topics over and over.)

In chemistry, distillation is the process of refining a fluid to its purest form, typically by boiling a solution into steam and collecting only the desired parts of the vapor as it returns to a liquid state. Alcohol is probably the most well known application of this process, although it’s also used to make water free of minerals, sediment or salt. But let’s stick with alcohol for this analogy. If one walks into a liquor store, entire shelves will be lined with different versions of the same basic ‘model’ of drink. You might know that better as which brand they are. How many types of whiskey are there? Dozens. But at their core, they are all the same thing. A fermented grain of some kind, distilled and aged in a container that imbues additional flavor.

LLM’s fit this description too. At their core, they are all machines trained on pre-existing data. They all offer pretty much the same experience at the user end, as well. Branding and competition is mostly a matter of name recognition and reputation, with some infrastructure differences thrown in for flavor. TechCrunch even points out the irony of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic taking issue with distillation of their products when those products were initially trained on the intellectual property of others. In short, they don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to accusing anyone of copying their work.

But this indicates a shift in how the AI tech boom will move forward, I think. Soon enough there will be enough competition on the digital shelves that people can pick and choose which brand they want to give their money to. That is also part of capitalism. Free market, yes? Trying to keep a proprietary hold over the same basic programming will become fiscally unsustainable. Just as there are already dozens of types of word processing programs (Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, Scrivener, Calligra Words, Apple Pages, etc). No one is suing each other over it.

‘Distillation’ is a natural evolution of any product, and I’m honestly surprised that this is the first time I’ve come across anything about it. The argument against it focuses on the wrong aspect, however. At least in my opinion. What we really need with all this AI growth is regulation. Just as all those brands of whiskey must pass an agreed upon level of standards, both to be marketed as such and to be safely consumed, we need that level of safety standards for LLM’s. Limits on what they can do, what they can access, how they can be utilized. I don’t really care how many companies are making the same aggregation and sorting tool. I care about the privacy and protection of my data if/when I’m using them.

Posted, 5/1/26

[ahedderick]

Shine

Dang it, I want to reblog a post I saw yesterday, but. Can't find it again. And it's a news story, not a personal post, so:

Absolutely fascinating to me. I was always under the impression that home distilling WAS legal up to a certain, small number of gallons per year. Granted, I don't know where I ever picked up that 'fact', and it could possibly have been the Dukes of Hazzard for all I know. But, anyway, distilling is a bit more legal, now. For what that's worth.

And I'd do it! Even though I'm not a drinker, I just think it's interesting and very, um, regionally-approriate for me. For medicinal purposes, as the old-timers used to say. However, after multiple debacles with wine and cheese, I don't think I have any talent for fermentation. Rather proved I don't, in fact. Trying to do a diy project of fermentation followed by distilling sounds like a great way to ruin a whole bunch of ingredients.

I'm still intrigued, though. I'd do it if I knew someone who could teach me, hands-on. I have an absolutely *perfect* little hidden hollow with a beautiful spring at the base of the mountain. Living history!

[stonylabchem]

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[liwinespirits]

Cognac Secrets Every Spirit Enthusiast Should Know

WHAT MAKES COGNAC SO EXTRAORDINARY? Cognac is one of the most refined spirits in the world, and understanding what goes into every bottle makes it even more rewarding to enjoy. IT STARTS IN THE VINEYARD Cognac begins with Ugni Blanc grapes grown in France's Cognac region. The local climate and soil give the spirit its distinct character before distillation even begins. DOUBLE DISTILLATION IS THE STANDARD Producers use a traditional double distillation process in copper pot stills. This method concentrates the spirit and draws out the flavors that define premium cognac. BARREL AGING DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais forests shape much of cognac's final taste. Over time, the spirit absorbs tannins and develops notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Terroir plays a major role in flavor - Copper pot stills are central to tradition - Aging duration directly impacts complexity - Barrel origin influences the final profile WORTH EXPLORING FURTHER Whether you are new to cognac or a longtime enthusiast, learning how it is made deepens your appreciation for every sip. This overview only scratches the surface of a remarkably rich spirit.

[labasics]

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Product related to this post:

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[di3letztep4nzerhexe2]

Apparatus for the distillation of cinnabar, Alchimia, 1570

page 9, from Alchimia : das ist alle Farben, Wasser, olea, Salia, und Alumina, damit man alle Corpora Spiritvs unnd Calces prepariert, sublimiert unnd fixiert zubereyten : und wie man diese Ding nutze, auff dass Sol und Luna werden möge : auch von Soluieren unnd Scheydung aller Metall, Polierung allerhandt Edelgestein, fürtrefflichen Wassern zum etzen, scheyden unnd soluieren : und zuletzt wie die gifftige Dämpff zuverhüten, ein kurtzer Bericht. by Anonymous. Zu Franckfurt am Meyn : [s. n.], 1570.

Distillation was a powerful technology used for much more than concentrating alcohol. It had a wide range of applications. Alchimia begins with the section “Rechter Gebrauch der Alchimei” [Using Alchemy the Right Way] and a recipe for the red pigment cinnabar (mercury sulfide).