This brings back old memories, from when they released the first version of Hollow (2016, I think) and I started writing a port in .Net because I thought it would be useful for some projects I was working on. I don't remember why I stopped, I guess I realized it was too much work, plus working at a low level with C# was quite a pain...
Lately I've been thinking about the unintended effects that AI tools (such as GPT-based assistants) might have on technological innovation. Let me explain:
Suppose an AI assistant is heavily trained on a popular technology stack, such as React. Developers naturally rely on AI for quick solutions, best practices, and problem solving. While this certainly increases productivity, doesn't it implicitly discourage exploration of potentially superior alternative technologies?
My concern is that a heavy reliance on AI could reinforce existing standards and discourage developers from experimenting or inventing radically new approaches. If everyone is using AI-based solutions built on dominant frameworks, where does the motivation to explore novel platforms or languages come from?
I would add that not only the quality in general is degrading, but also the treatment of the brands and manufacturers to the customer. I believe that the feeling of abandonment (sometimes even scam) in which the brands subject their customers further deepen the feeling of lack of quality in general.
A few years ago I bought a Samsung refrigerator. It came with a big "10 year warranty" sticker. After a couple of years or so, one day it stopped cooling. I thought what a piece of crap, but at least it had a warranty. I found out, over the phone, that the 10 year warranty was only for the compressor. Still, I was lucky because it was the compressor that had gone bad. But there was more fine print in the 10-year warranty: it only covered the compressor and only the price of the part. In other words, I had to pay for the technician to come to my house and replace the part. Almost 200 dollars for a refrigerator that had cost 800 and was supposedly under warranty.
For a article on classic pens I miss something from Kaweco or Lamy as entry level, for example, or some of the classic pens from japanese brands like Pilot or Sailor.
I am very curious about the author's comments on whether all these variations have been made automatically.
I think that with a standard Ablenton project, for example, with several VSTs (this sounds like a Kontakt library) and replacing the midi clips by the Magenta's MusicVAE output for example, you could make infinite variations.
I usually use this kind of tools to get the bass score of some songs, for example. With the isolated elements it is much easier to know exactly what notes are sounding (I don't have a good ear). The same for drums or synth notes.
As after all the sound quality doesn't interest me too much to do this, I usually use iZotope RX, but I will try this tool.
Swallows also do work. I read that each swallow can eat about 800 flies and mosquitoes a day. A combination of swallows during the day and nocturnal bats would be ideal.
I have been using Midori MD notebooks for quite some time, I really like their format and paper.
I recently purchased a pack containing a Kunisawa notebook, it's so nice and well made that I'm sad to start writing in it, I'm waiting to start a project or idea for something interesting enough to release it.
That said I also think that there are many things coming from Japan that are incredibly overpriced just for the fact of coming from there, like stationery and clothes, the prices they reach when they arrive in Europe are sometimes even in bad taste, especially if you compare them with many local products that are equal or better and worth 1/3 of the price.
In its day I really liked Ableton Push (and 2 of course). The best hardware - software integration and experience I had ever tried. It allowed, at least in the "sketch" part, to start producing music by taking your eyes off the computer using software.
I am also surprised, it is true that I live in a city very conducive to motorcycles for the climate (Barcelona) but here it is practically impossible to see electric city bikes (electric MTB for enduro or all mountain enthusiasts there are many) because basically you can have a 125/150cc korean or japanese scooter for almost half the price. It has all the advantages and more than a ebike and practically none of the disadvantages.
Spain is a country where most of the people work in the service sector, I see this reduction complicated for this sector. And with the loss of competitiveness and industry in recent years, I think this measure would only be applicable to civil servants (For those who do not know, Spain is a special case, there are a lot of civil servants, well paid, and besides, it is almost impossible for them to lose their job unless... they assassinate their boss for example). And coming from where the proposal comes from, I would not be surprised if this were the case. They seem intent on destroying any private initiative...
I found quite useful an example I read in the book "The Art of Unit Testing" by Roy Osherove, it was something like this (I don't have it at hand, I repeat it from memory):
Suppose you have to test the irrigation system of a tree in your garden, you want to test how many times and how much water is used, you have two ways to do it:
1) State-based: run the system for a few hours, during which it should water the tree several times. At the end of that time, you check the state of the watered tree: Is the soil moist enough, is the tree well, are the leaves green, etc. (Obviously this is just an example as this test would be complex in real life, but it is to get the idea across).
2) Interaction: We place a flow meter, a device that registers how much water is flowing through the device and at what times. At the end of the day, check that the device has been called the correct number of times, with the correct amount of water each time, and we don't worry about checking the status of the tree.
The truth is that the end result is pleasant, but the process they follow really has little or no Machine Learning.
It seems as if it is based only on random decisions.
-Lightweight -Durable -Reasonable price
In reality, you can only choose two of these.