fennaixelphox | Reading

More LLM fun! Miserable fail at running a vending machine business simulation

This is quite interesting. Researchers set up multiple LLMs and configured them to run a vending machine simulator, described as "Agents must balance inventories, place orders, set prices, and handle daily fees – tasks that are each simple but collectively, over long horizons." Basic business process.
[---8<---]
Basically it was a demonstration of how such large-language models are terrible for long-term runs and shows their ability to hallucinate and make poor decisions.

It is obviously a bad idea to replace intelligent human employees with sloppy programs.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Saxicolous -- living or growing among rocks.

What a useful word! It can apply to mosses, lichens, most alpine plants, and some animals such as pikas, ibex, or snow leopards who also favor rocky terrain.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today I'm making caramel apple crisp in a muffin tin. I diced up a Jonathan apple with a little lemon juice, then divided it among 4 cups, then added a spoonful of apple cider caramel sauce to each. The crumble topping is quick oats, flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and butter cut together until crumbly. It's in the oven baking now. :D

EDIT 10/6/25 -- Well, that turned out super awesome. It's like a warm, diced caramel apple in a bowl. (Note that if you prefer your caramel apples with nuts, the crumble topping will accommodate sliced or chopped nuts.) Happily there are 2 more Jonathans and a whole carton of caramel sauce in case we want more.

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

We need a framework to treat fandom trauma

Well, online trauma in general.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

14 Ways to Celebrate & Take Action for Banned Books Week

From July 2021 to the end of the 2024 school year, PEN America recorded nearly 22,810 cases of book bans across 45 states and 451 public school districts.

These numbers represent a crisis of censorship that is only growing, especially targeting historically marginalized voices that share stories and lived experiences of racism and LGBTQ+ oppression.

The most effective approach is to make it illegal to ban books. An effective tactic is to point out how much time and money it will save. People in office may care fuckall about civil rights or reading, but they are probably tired of hearing het up soccer moms whine about a book with two boys kissing.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Esbat
Shopping
Birdfeeding
Space Exploration
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Money
Today's Cooking
Gaming
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Activism
Follow Friday 10-3-25: Japan / Japanese
Gender Studies
Birdfeeding
Hobbies: Seatweaving
Fall Festival Bingo Card 10-1-25
Moment of Silence: Jane Goodall
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party

Food has 51 comments. Affordable Housing has 51 comments. Robotics has 73 comments.

There will be a Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, October 7 with a theme of "Witches and Wizards."

"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv and needs $200 to be complete. Shiv attends the first session of his Worldbuilding class.

The weather has been sweltering again, but today is slightly cooler. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a wren (possibly a Bewick's wren or Carolina wren), and a fox squirrel. I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it. The migration is heavily impacted -- we drove past the lake recently and there was no sign of waterbirds, whereas normally this time of year there would ducks, pelicans, etc. in fairly large flocks. I saw a huge corn devil in the field across from us that was harvested recently. Currently blooming: dandelions, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, oxalis, moss rose, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant, cypress vine, sunchokes, sedum, violas. Tomatoes, ball carrots, and groundcherries are ripe. Fields are about half harvested.

Current Mood: busy

amphobet

Pie chart showing 60% Dead Cells, 27% YouTube, 4% Deltarune, 3% Podcasts, 3% Haruhi, 2% Steven Universe, and 1% Earthbound Beginnings

For some reason, I'm reminded of this dril tweet.

Food $200 Data $150 Rent $800 Candles $3,600 Utility $150 someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying

OK, let's address the elephant in the room. 60% of the media I engaged with was a single video game, namely Dead Cells. Over the time tracked, my average daily playtime was 2 hours and 42 minutes.

I tend to rely on things that are comfortable and familiar in times of stress, and considering I've sunk over 295 hours into Dead Cells, that fits the bill.

However, moderation in all things. Let's see if I can taper down some.

This Week's Goal: Less than 2 hours Dead Cells per day.

Current Mood: anxious

ysabetwordsmith

Fruit might be the surprising key to healthier lungs

Eating more fruit could help protect lungs from air pollution damage, particularly in women. Researchers point to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in fruit as possible defenses against harmful airborne particles.

Fruit also includes many valuable nutrients such as vitamin C.

Of course, it would be better to avoid putting pollution into the air in the first place, or failing that, to live somewhere with lower pollution and more trees to filter the air -- and hey, you could make them fruit trees!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the septic garden and the new picnic table garden.

I picked a few groundcherries.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the irises and the patio plants.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the new picnic table, telephone pole garden, and savanna seedlings.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

I bagged up the last of the Ginger Gold apple seeds to cold-stratify in the fridge.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

amphobet

Video

1 hr 34 min

15 min

Total Video: 1 hr 49 min

Podcasts

33 min

The Analects of Confucius

Introduction: 9 min

Book 1: 7 min

Book 2: 9 min

Cyberpunk Librarian – Episode 09 – Podcasting Podcasts

14 min

Total Podcast: 1 hr 12 min

Video Games

Dead Cells: 41 min

Current Mood: depressed

ysabetwordsmith posting in

newcomers

melannen has a post on "How To Make Your Own Fanfiction Archive, In Just 10 Easy Steps" for Neocities. You can use this to post your fanworks, original content, etc. You can also use it to create an index with titles, descriptions, and links -- not just for your own work but for recommended works. Dreamwidth does well with a short reclist, but the longer it gets, the more awkward that is to do here.

It's good to back up your work, even if you already post it in full on Dreamwidth or other sites. Right now is a very precarious time for the internet, with many platforms closing, severely misbehaving, or adding restrictions that make them less attractive. Also, some sites have become inaccessible for people, so multiple platforms broaden your potential audience.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Tonight we did our esbat ritual on attracting new folks to the coven. We used the intention board, which has a "seed of life" motif and different labels that can be added. It's kind of the mystical equivalent of a breadboard in science -- something you can plug in different things to generate diverse effects. :D

Current Mood: busy

amphobet

Video

YouTube

1 min

3 min

1 hr 34 min

Total Video: 1 hr 38 min

Video Games

Earthbound Beginnings
20 min

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: Home.
Current Music: "Peace" by Weezer, from Make Believe

ysabetwordsmith

52 Best Self-Care Gifts for Peak Pampering

We all know someone who deserves a little pampering. Actually, we all are someone who deserves a little pampering.

Meaningful self-care goes beyond a simple bubble bath or at-home facial (though, those are really nice, too), and we all need support and resources to maintain self-care routines that truly benefit us.

If you’re looking to be that support for someone else, self-care gifts can make a major impact.

Take care of yourself and those you love.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

I picked a handful of groundcherries.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I watered the patio plants.

I picked another handful of groundcherries.

I've heard a bluejay screaming but haven't seen it.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

New rocket fuel compound packs 150% more energy

A new boron-rich compound, manganese diboride, delivers much higher energy density than current solid-rocket materials while remaining stable until intentionally ignited. Its power comes from an unusual, strained atomic structure formed during ultra-hot synthesis, with promising uses beyond propulsion.

Honestly, I'm FAR more impressed by the stability than by the power boost. Making things go "boom" is easy. Making wait until you tell them to go "boom" is much harder. One of the biggest risks in space exploration is the fuel itself -- says the person who has seen a lot of model rocket mishaps.