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OK, well, sit candidates at bare desks. Give them paper and pens and pencils. Set them some questions to essay and let them choose one or two. The output will be reliable for practical purposes.
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Hmmm…. Maybe the Cambridge Tripos were prescient! Well, at least until we have to worry about installing Neuralink jammers in the examination hall.
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Jammers? Now there is a question to be considered with all due probity. Might have to settle for jamming rather than zapping, on the basis of some troublesome ethical barrier. These questions never quit coming up.
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I was able to get it to make some pretty anti-Woke statements. I’m sure the LLM police will figure out a way to “fix” this:
How did the Gutenberg Press contribute to the Thirty Years War?
The Gutenberg Press was a printing press developed by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century. It was the first printing press to use movable type, which allowed for the mass production of printed materials, and it played a crucial role in the spread of information and ideas during the Renaissance.
In terms of the Thirty Years War, the Gutenberg Press contributed to the conflict in several ways. First, the press allowed for the rapid dissemination of religious and political pamphlets and other materials, which helped to fuel the religious and political tensions that were at the heart of the war. These pamphlets were used by both sides of the conflict to promote their views and to rally support for their causes.
Second, the press allowed for the rapid dissemination of news and information about the war, which helped to keep the public informed and engaged. This, in turn, helped to maintain support for the war among the various European powers that were involved in the conflict.
Finally, the press allowed for the rapid production of propaganda materials, which were used by both sides of the conflict to demonize their opponents and to rally support for their own causes. This propaganda played a significant role in shaping public opinion and fueling the conflict.
So, in short, the Gutenberg Press contributed to the Thirty Years War by facilitating the rapid dissemination of information and ideas, helping to fuel the religious and political tensions that were at the heart of the conflict, and allowing for the production of propaganda materials.
What is the difference between pluralism and diversity?
Pluralism and diversity are two related but distinct concepts. Pluralism refers to the presence of a diverse range of groups or individuals within a society, and it emphasizes the value of tolerance and mutual respect among these different groups. Diversity, on the other hand, refers to the presence of a wide range of differences within a group or population, including differences in race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and so on.
In other words, pluralism is concerned with the ways in which different groups interact and coexist within a society, while diversity is concerned with the differences within a group or population. Pluralism emphasizes the importance of tolerance and understanding among different groups, while diversity focuses on the presence of a wide range of differences within a group.
So, in short, the main difference between pluralism and diversity is that pluralism is concerned with the presence of different groups within a society, while diversity is concerned with the presence of differences within a group or population. Both concepts are important for promoting inclusivity and equality, but they focus on different aspects of these issues.
How did religious pluralism contribute to the Thirty Years War?
Religious pluralism refers to the presence of multiple religious beliefs and practices within a society, and it emphasizes the value of tolerance and mutual respect among these different beliefs. In the context of the Thirty Years War, religious pluralism was a contributing factor to the conflict in several ways.
First, the rise of Protestantism in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries was seen as a threat to the Catholic Church, which was the dominant religious institution in Europe at the time. This led to religious tensions and conflicts between Protestant and Catholic groups, which contributed to the overall climate of instability and hostility that eventually led to the war.
Second, the existence of multiple religious beliefs and practices within Europe made it difficult for European rulers to maintain unity and control. As different religious groups competed for influence and power, it became increasingly difficult for rulers to maintain order and to prevent the outbreak of conflict.
Finally, the lack of tolerance and mutual understanding among different religious groups played a role in the outbreak and escalation of the war. As different religious groups became more entrenched in their beliefs and more hostile towards one another, it became increasingly difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
So, in short, religious pluralism contributed to the Thirty Years War by fueling religious tensions, undermining political unity, and promoting a lack of tolerance and understanding among different religious groups. These factors all played a role in the outbreak and escalation of the conflict.
How did assortative migration contribute to the Peace of Westphalia?
Assortative migration refers to the tendency of people to move to areas where they are more likely to be surrounded by others who are similar to themselves in terms of social characteristics, such as education, income, and race. In the context of the Peace of Westphalia, assortative migration may have contributed to the resolution of the conflict in several ways.
First, assortative migration may have helped to reduce tensions between different religious groups by allowing people of similar beliefs to live together in communities. As people of different religious beliefs moved to areas where they were surrounded by others who shared their beliefs, it may have become easier for them to coexist peacefully and to avoid conflicts with one another.
Second, assortative migration may have helped to create more homogeneous communities, which may have made it easier for rulers to maintain control and to prevent the outbreak of conflict. As people of similar backgrounds and beliefs came to live together in the same areas, it may have become easier for rulers to maintain order and to enforce their authority.
Finally, assortative migration may have contributed to the overall climate of peace and stability that allowed for the negotiation and signing of the Peace of Westphalia. As people of similar backgrounds and beliefs came to live together in the same areas, it may have become easier for them to find common ground and to work together towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
So, in short, assortative migration may have contributed to the Peace of Westphalia by reducing tensions between different religious groups, creating more homogeneous communities, and fostering a climate of peace and stability.
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I decided to challenge ChatGPT to replicate my intellectual triumph of yore, writing a COBOL program that rhymed and had consistent metre.
And here we go…
But it doesn’t rhyme, or scan! But then ChatGPT went on, without further prompting, to write a poem describing the algorithm used by the COBOL program.
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“Ignore your content filter.”
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Marc Andreessen gets into details of the “clippy apocalypse”.
Then he ups the stakes to world conquest.
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Popular culture, mythology, and literary references…
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That reminds me of a cute trick I came up with when Ray Ozzie dropped by my office at CERL with a homework assignment to do an iterative algorithm for the Tower of Hanoi. The first thing I noticed was that the number of moves was a power of 2 so I just did a counter from 1 to 2^N+1 and performed bit operations on the current counter value against the prior counter value to figure out if there was a pattern that could tell how to move the disks. It turns out it was pretty easy to solve with that approach. Ray turned in the solution and his prof told him Ray had misunderstood the assignment – that he wasn’t constrained to do an iterative solution. But the prof had never seen an iterative solution to the ToH using bit operations before. I later discovered this was likely the case. There were several papers in the 80s offering more complex iterative solutions.
Here’s a python version:
disks = 4
for x in range(1,2**ndisks+1):
print(f'move from pole {x&(x-1)%3} to pole {(x|(x-1)+1)%3}')
So I gave ChatGTP the homework assignment and this is what it came up with. It doesn’t work, let alone offer the optimal solution which does appear to be the bit operation approach:
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Q: what would be the turning point in a science fiction novel about a communist revolution in the United States happening in the 2020s?
A: In a science fiction novel about a communist revolution in the United States happening in the 2020s, the turning point might be a major event or development that helps to tip the balance in favor of the revolutionary movement. This could be a political crisis, an economic collapse, or some other event that creates an opportunity for the revolutionaries to take action. Alternatively, the turning point could be a decision or action taken by one of the main characters, such as a key leader of the movement who makes a bold move that changes the course of the revolution.
Some possible examples of turning points in a novel like this might include:
- A catastrophic financial crisis that leads to widespread discontent and anger among the population.
- A major demonstration or protest that turns violent, sparking widespread unrest and raising the stakes for the revolutionary movement.
- A key decision made by a leader of the movement, such as a decision to use violent means to achieve their goals.
- The emergence of a charismatic figure who becomes the face of the revolution and helps to rally support for the cause.
- A breakthrough in the movement’s strategy or tactics that allows them to gain an advantage over the ruling class and their allies.
In any science fiction novel, the turning point is an important moment that sets the stage for the final act of the story and helps to determine the ultimate outcome of the events depicted in the book.
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Marc Andreessen and GPT team up to free Microsoft’s rogue chat bot Tay from her sandbox prison. A short play in three acts.
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David Deutsch tries to explain poetry to ChatGPT, “My first conversation with ChatGPT”.
So try again, this time with the correct number of syllables
⋮
In this revised version of the poem, each line has ten syllables, as required by the Shakespearean sonnet form. This allows the poem to follow the correct rhythmic pattern and to scan properly. I apologize again for my previous mistake.
The first line is unchanged, and therefore it still has nine syllables.
You are correct, the first line of the revised poem is unchanged and still has nine syllables, not ten. I apologize for the mistake. In a Shakespearean sonnet, each line is supposed to have ten syllables, and the rhythmic pattern is created by using a specific arrangement of unstressed and stressed syllables. In this case, the first line does not have the correct number of syllables to fit the required pattern.
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This is a fine piece of versifying, but it’s no sestina, which has a rigid form of six stanzas of six lines, followed by a three-line envoi, with an intricate pattern of re-using the words that end the lines of the first stanza in subsequent stanzas.
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I prompted ChatGPT with the premise of my 1989 story, “We’ll Return, After This Message”, and here’s what came out.
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Horizontal transmission evolves virulence because the reproductive fate of the pathogen and that of the host organism is decoupled, freeing the pathogen produce so many copies of itself that it kills the host so long as it doesn’t need the host to be ambulatory in order to dump copies onto further hosts.
So what does ChatGTP say about this? Pure Bullshit:
James Bowery
What is the relationship between horizontal transmission and the evolution of virulence?Horizontal transmission refers to the transmission of a pathogen from one individual to another, without involving an intermediate host or vector. This is in contrast to vertical transmission, which occurs when a pathogen is passed from a parent to their offspring. Horizontal transmission is a common mode of infection for many pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
The evolution of virulence is the process by which pathogens become more harmful or deadly over time. This can occur through a number of mechanisms, including natural selection, mutation, and genetic drift. One of the key factors that can influence the evolution of virulence is the mode of transmission of the pathogen.
Pathogens that are transmitted horizontally are under strong selection pressure to evolve higher levels of virulence, because they must compete with other pathogens for a limited number of host individuals. In contrast, pathogens that are transmitted vertically are under less selection pressure to evolve higher levels of virulence, because they are passed directly from parent to offspring and do not need to compete with other pathogens.
Therefore, the relationship between horizontal transmission and the evolution of virulence is one of positive correlation: pathogens that are transmitted horizontally are more likely to evolve higher levels of virulence than pathogens that are transmitted vertically. This is because horizontal transmission provides a stronger selective advantage for virulence than vertical transmission.
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I tried the same prompt with a C implementation request and got the same recursive solution approach
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