Scott Adams Thread (Garfield Cartoonist)

[freebeard]

He's back...

His experience with Amazon is like my experience with Blender. Functionality doesn't match the mental model.

[freebeard]

Greg Gutfeld drawing Dilbert cartoons

[freebeard]

Scott's having a problem with the helicopter co-pilot story.

Meanwhile...

After all these years not being in the industry, I occasionally scan The Register

www.theregister.com: Guess who left a database wide open, exposing chat logs, API keys, and more? Yup, DeepSeek

China-based AI biz DeepSeek may have developed competitive, cost-efficient generative models, but its cybersecurity chops are another story.

Wiz, a New York-based infosec house, says that shortly after the DeepSeek R1 model gained widespread attention, it began investigating the machine-learning outfit's security posture. What Wiz found is that DeepSeek – which not only develops and distributes trained openly available models but also provides online access to those neural networks in the cloud – did not secure the database infrastructure of those services.

That means conversations with the online DeepSeek chatbot, and more data besides, were accessible from the public internet with no password required.
....
To make matters worse, Wiz said, the exposure allowed for full control of the database and potential privilege escalation within the DeepSeek environment, without any authentication or barrier to external access.

The technical term for this is 'pants around your ankles'.

Was this reported anywhere else?

[Piotrsko]

I thought those leaks were an integrated design detail bonus. After all they be the enemy and it would be expected. Perhaps all those years working for gumment colored my viewpoints against the chinese officials

[freebeard]

Today Scott Adams mentioned a DeepSeek story, but it was about a DDOS attack.

I went back to The Vulture: www.theregister.com/2025/01/30: Microsoft catapults DeepSeek R1 into Azure AI Foundry, GitHub

Distilled version for Copilot+ PCs on the way, too.

Microsft applies it's Embrace/Extend/Extinguish strategy with something called Azure AI Foundry. Plug 'Azure AI Foundry' into DuckDuckGo and Microsoft owns the entire first page.

Then there is another story with this concluding mention: www.theregister.com/2025/01/30: DeepSeek stirs intrigue and doubt across the tech world

Whether or not its performance and open source claims stack up, DeepSeek has also taken a hit on its security credentials after it left a backend database wide open, and had to limited new signups for the web-based interface to its models due to what's said to be an ongoing cyberattack.

"Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek's services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service," the biz said in a note on its status page.

So that's two sources for tha part of the story.

[freebeard]

Episode 2739 at 14:29

I think he makes a good point, and then pursues his topic. There is a fine line between hyperbole and bluff. Being able to walk that line and know which side you're on is a skill worth having. I'd put that on a list of persuasion skills.

Then he mentions them working all weekend. As I left the medical clinic on Friday, the receptionist said "Have a nice weekend." and I replied "It's all weekend for me". She said "Ouchie" and I felt bad for that.

30:09 He starts to backpedal on Perplexity.

36:57 This is the story of the decade: Six autists unravel the whole 'ball of worms' in one weekend.

Most people never heard of USAID? It's history goes back to before WWII, and they were all over Vietnam, where I first heard of them.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Episode 2739 at 14:29

I think he makes a good point, and then pursues his topic. There is a fine line between hyperbole and bluff. Being able to walk that line and know which side you're on is a skill worth having. I'd put that on a list of persuasion skills.

That's what catches people who don't know me off-guard. I calmly declare what my expectations are, and what the consequences will be, good or bad, and then execute without any further discussion. No trash talking, no walking back, no surrender to intimidation...

This brings up the highest stakes game there is- hostage negotiation. The correct posture is to say "my first, best, and final offer is you get to live". There is nothing else to discuss.

Most people never heard of USAID?

I'm sure I've heard of it, but nobody can keep track of the hundreds of departments. If we eliminated 75% of federal spending (minus department of war), we'd be just fine (Musk cut 80% of Twitter when people mocked me that 50% could be cut no problem).

Among Musk's best attributes is his method of reducing too much. You don't know what is necessary until you've eliminated too much. Our human nature is to avoid cutting too much, because our bias is to avoid setback and loss. The thing is, adding back a known thing is simple, so cutting too much is a low-risk task that feels high-risk given our DNA.

Musk found free money through his genetic quirks that enable him to act differently than most. We should exploit those quirks that have proven profitable.

[freebeard]

I remember when he put out a call for resumes. Now he has a posse of six more much like himself.

I'm sure I've heard of it,

Air America
1990 film directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Air America is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots flying missions in Laos during the Vietnam War. When the protagonists discover their aircraft is being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drug-smugglers. Wikipedia

[Piotrsko]

Musk is displaying typical autistic symptoms, because I understand he is one. If you ever dealth with severe austistics, they are freaking incredible super genius class when they are focused, but that is sadly only less than 1% of the time if that much. Think his
Functionality is higher, but you still get the associated irrational tantrums from frustration, self induced.

What do I know, I was just a handicap bus driver with a BS squared.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Musk is displaying typical autistic symptoms, because I understand he is one. If you ever dealth with severe austistics, they are freaking incredible super genius class when they are focused, but that is sadly only less than 1% of the time if that much. Think his
Functionality is higher, but you still get the associated irrational tantrums from frustration, self induced.

I suspect I have undiagnosed autism, though the fact that it's a spectrum makes a diagnosis less straight-forward and more ambiguous as to what to do about it.

I feel that I get Elon a little better than the surface level that others do because my personality is similar, but obviously less genius, and perhaps more careful communication style. My more careful communication could simply be the result of having no position of authority. If I had authority, I'd have little patience for stupid being insisted upon, or the hurt feelings of people denied the stupid option.