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T Chu 朱's posts Post Back to profile
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Rick Thoman

@chu For many people most modern infrastructure is functionally magic. No idea where it comes from (e.g. electricity) or where it goes (e.g. sewage). It just does.

30 Sep 2023 at 18:05 | Wall-to-wall | Open on alaskan.social
7 comments
MostlyTato
Andrew McCarthy
FrayJay

@AlaskaWx @chu I d argue its magic to all of us.. Depending how close you look at it. Even if you study informatics/computer science, if you go in deep enough into the hardware side of things you won't understand all software in the "social media stack" in your lifetime and vice versa. If down to the bits and bites and electrical charges of chips or boardlayout or individual lines of code... Libraries. No chance.

1 Oct 2023 at 2:41 | Open on mastodon.social
Caroline :transgender_flag:

@FrayJay @AlaskaWx @chu
There is a big difference between not knowing e.g. exactly how a black-box function works, but knowing all the variables you have to pass to it and what it returns, and just thinking the computer is "smart" and works by magically figuring things out.

1 Oct 2023 at 3:41 | Open on strangeobject.space
Riku Mattila :verified:

@AlaskaWx @chu One of my nurses was unable to grasp that electricity 'comes' to the house. He kept arguing that it 'is' in the house. He also didn't understand why the washing machine stopped when 'lights went out'.

1 Oct 2023 at 4:18 | Open on energydon.fi
Lightning Bjornsson
@rmattila74 @AlaskaWx @chu The washing machine uses the same force as the lights. Pity he cannot grasp that.
1 Oct 2023 at 4:36 | Open on bv.umbrellix.org
Christine Malec

@AlaskaWx @chu Food too, most of us, me included, don't know the path our food takes, and who and what is involved in it reaching us. Our current heaven of seemingly unlimited options won't last.

1 Oct 2023 at 5:34 | Open on mstdn.ca
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