master Jack ass of some trades, PhD of none, research engineer, computational neuroscience, neuromechanics ⚾ follows not equal to endorse. Peace to all.
Joined November 2015
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Manta Array retweeted
So, like the Huns pushing the Germanic tribes into Rome, the worst thing about AI taking over physics will be that those physicists will be showing up in your field claiming that, yes, your problem also is just a trivial Ising model.
Also I think the maybe early hopes for SUSY or whatever and deriving/explaining the standard model count for something outside of planck inaccessibility. The unmet expectations doesn't refute ST, and like i said as a jack ass non-expert, I have a lot of respect for ST and the theoretical physicists behind it and find it super interesting. Understanding the planck scale doesn’t erase that early history of unmet empirical expectations.
The planck scale doesn’t establish that every possible indirect test is impossible. But my main point was about the response to criticism: people can understand the exp obstacles and still have legitimate concerns about empirical grounding (which is what Chollet OP was doing, albeit more provocative than i thought at first). Treating that concern as ignorance or bad faith is what I was pushing back on.
Manta Array retweeted
NIH had a strong FY2026:
✅ $35.2 billion in extramural funding
✅ 15% increase in funding for competing awards
✅ Record-breaking 1,648 R01-equivalent grants supporting early-stage investigators
Yet some have fixated on a single number: fewer grant awards. But the grant count measures transactions, not scientific investment, much less scientific progress.
The questions that matter are whether the best science is funded, whether the next generation is able to test their ideas, and whether taxpayer dollars are being soundly invested to help Americans live longer, healthier lives. On those measures, FY2026 was a strong year.
yes it is, i think you are missing my point but thats ok. Martin Bauer has a history of condescending takes and mocking some with valid concerns as "retired engineers" etc. And this take dismissing Francois Chollet, who is no dummy, and the lack of testability was his core point
i'm no expert, but I do know experts who are willing to admit that the lack of testability is a valid concern for an empirical science. my point anyway, is that dismissing it outright gives the pro contrarians fuel for their populist shticks against science
telling people "you just don’t get it" is a fast way to build resentment. The core critique that ST lacks testable predictions despite decades of dominance is a valid scientific concern imho and gets dismissed a lot. It gives pro contrarians like EW and SH fuel for their shtick
Chollet doesn't seem angry. I like string theory as a non-expert, but it is Martin telling the masses that they and the critics (Sabine H, Eric W) have "no idea" what they are talking about. That's what makes people angry. The gate keepy ness that any criticism is dumb
Manta Array retweeted
Maxim Raginsky may live a "low-energy lifestyle", but he has some high-energy (and wide-ranging) thoughts about the intersection of control theory, philosophy, neuroscience, and AI
braininspired.co/podcast/247…
Manta Array retweeted
You only have so much time and energy; make sure you are investing them in exploring the problems that, if fixed, will yield you the biggest returns. #principleoftheday
Manta Array retweeted
There is something oddly satisfying about building the exact opposite of what people think we do that actually keeps them safe and keeps their privacy and civil liberties intact.
Manta Array retweeted
"We had a good thing going you stupid SOB. We had string theory. We had everything we needed, it all ran like clock work"
Manta Array retweeted
String theory is what happens when an intelligent system is starved of sensory input and starts hallucinating. Intelligence needs grounding.
For this reason, intelligence is practically never the bottleneck to solving impactful problems. The bottleneck is iterated contact with reality.
Manta Array retweeted
Remember this: The pain is all in your head.
If you want to evolve, you need to go where the problems and the pain are. By confronting the pain, you will see more clearly the paradoxes and problems you face. Reflecting on them and resolving them will give you wisdom.
The harder the pain and the challenge, the better. #principleoftheday
Chinese Room or "it's like saying a piano is conscious bc someone is playing it."
xitter.cf/ArrayManta/status/2106…
This seems like a lazy remix of Searle's Chinese Room applied to the Hard Problem. Instead of "syntax is not semantics" we have "info processing is not subjective experience."
I don't accept computational functionalism either, but both Searle and Rosas fail imho. They deceptively reduce a dynamic, recurrent and integrated system into a passive, feed forward instrument operated by an external agent
Manta Array retweeted
When there is pain, the animal instinct is flight-or-fight. Calm yourself down and reflect instead.
The pain you are feeling is due to things being in conflict--maybe you've come up against a terrible reality, such as the death of a friend, and are unable to accept it; maybe you've been forced to acknowledge a weakness that challenges the idea you'd had of yourself. #principleoftheday
Maybe the journey can remain and be as adventurous and important as ever with the right field adaptation