The Consolation of Discernment
Today I’m thinking about discernment.
Sam Bleckley | Writing
Sam is a software engineer, designer, and artist. This is Sam's blog.
Latest posts
The Inefficient Courtroom
Today I’m thinking about trial by jury and efficiency.
One Song in Your Musical Is Wrong
I. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Why I Rewrote a Century-Old Artist’s Anatomy Book
(If you’re not interested in the how or why of this project, and just want the result, it’s available here .) Bridgman’s Constructive Anatomy is a classic study text for artists that has been in print for over a century. It’s time-tested and artist-proven: comic book artists, illustrators, and fine artists all study Bridgman. Other anatomy books may be more complete, more technical, more clear, or…
On Tools
There are names “tools” many different contexts; there are tools for physical work, tools for mental work, for office work, for technical work, and for teamwork. There are so many things in our lives called “tools” that damaging ideas sometimes sneak in wearing a tool-shaped trenchcoat.
The Anatomist’s Fallacy
I tend to be shy about using the words “purpose” and “intention”. There are lots of processes that make it tempting to ascribe intention, but which have none. I think the easiest example is evolution. “Wide-spread eyes evolved in prey animals in order to detect stalking predators,” is an easy thought to have, but evolution as a process doesn’t plan; nothing is “in order to”. Everything is…
Build a Laboratory
A product is something someone will pay for. A viable product is one you can sell for more than it costs to produce. A minimum viable product is the easiest thing you can make with those properties, where “ease” depends on your specific circumstances: the time, money, resources, and skills you have available to you
AI in 2024: Eat the fruit, leave the rind
In my opinion, the most exciting uses of LLMs don’t involve generating text at all.
AI in 2024: Making a Case
I hang out with writers and artists along with technical people, and the conversation frequently turns to generative AI, both the text and image kind. The sentiment is rarely positive, and I am sympathetic. I think generative AI is overhyped, the wrong choice for many situations, and is already costing people their livelihoods.
AI in 2024: What Good is Bullshit?
It’s been a year since I last wrote about generative AI and its practical application, and some of my thoughts have solidified in that time, so I thought I might be due to revisit the topic. I expect this to come in three relatively short parts, of which this is part one.