Summary for June, 2024

Finally watched Dune: Part Two last night. It lived up to the hype. The cinematography, particularly the black and white stylization of the scenes with the Harkonnans, was phenomenal.

Another day, another reminder of how incredibly broken the healthcare system is in America. Every other major country has this figured out, and here we are, stuck in a profit-driven system that costs more than anywhere else in the world to get inferior results.

Shit. #F1 #Ferrari

If you’re just a general fan of #F1, or a fan of a baclmarker, mixed condition racing is amazing because of the total chaos. If you’re a fan of a leading team? It sucks. 😂

Couldn’t even finish watching the race replay I was so pissed. No question it’s an incredibly gripping and exciting race, but man does this feel like 2022 Ferrari all over again. Bin the weekend 🗑️ and focus on the next race. #F1

Chemo treatment 7 of 12 today for my wife. Treatment 6 was tough. She had to take an extra “off” week, which featured severe neutropenia and a late-night trip to the ER for emergency IV fluids, including antibiotics to prevent sepsis, and to address tachycardia and a scary 170+ heart rate.

But, here we are, inching closer to the finish line. We’re over the hump, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 🙏

Unsurprising, but also disappointing, to see a lot of scoffing at Apple’s AI announcements. I’m excited for the future, especially if tech giants can drive ethical/responsible use of generative models to change our relationship with computers. Acknowledge the challenges and push for responsible use.

Also, the notion that you can’t have fantastic results with generative models training on only content you have permission to use is ridiculous. OpenAI and Meta are bad actors that are disengenuous. Its *easier* to get good results with ethical shortcuts, but you can acehieve amazing results without stealing.

Last note on AI for today, w.r.t. energy. Every computer uses power. The apps we use, SaaS apps in data centers, etc. This is fine, provided that the use provides real utility. For crypto, energy complaints are relevant, as it provides little utility. If you give this first generation of AI tools a real shot at enhancing your day-to-day, you’ll quickly see real utility *now* and potential for even more. Push for renewables and regulation requiring data centers to reduce carbon footprint, don’t kneecap the future.

I hope all of the other engineers took the tvOS guy out to lunch to celebrate WWDC.

New 311 slaps. I’m so 👴

Years after Logitech killed the Harmony, there are *two* very promising universal remotes on Kickstarter. Unfolded Circle’s Remote 3 looks the most well-considered, and is where I am placing my bets, but I backed the Haptique RS90X as well. 🤞

Took the kids to see Inside Out 2 tonight. What a fantastic movie. The level of care taken to capture big, hairy emotional concepts like anxiety and sense of self was impressive. I’ve never seen as effective a presentation of what it’s like to suffer from anxiety.

Okay, this looks super cool. Eventually, when Apple makes a headset that doesn’t cost a hojillion dollars, I may actually buy one just for this. https://github.com/cbusillo/BD_to_AVP

Thanks you, LabCorp, for being so incredibly incompetent that you delayed my wife’s chemo by an entire week, ruined our July 4th vacation plan, and caused her to have to endure yet another week of suffering. ‘Eff you very much, forever and ever.

Okay, S3E4 of The Boys was officially “too much” for me. Really hard to watch.

Yeah, I don’t care, I’m still voting for “Weekend at Biden’s.”

Alright, episode five of The Boys S3 was far better than episode 4, which skeeved me out quite a bit. Back to a good balance this week, plus a bonus of a scene on a farm that I’ll never forget.

Genuinely irritated that Ferrari has the 4th fastest car at this stage of the season. Such a promising start, but since Monaco, it’s been a mess. Barring significant upgrades, it’ll be a P4 in the constructors. Ah, Ferrari fandom. #F1

I do hold out some hope that Ferrari will be much stronger on street circuits featuring more low speed corners like Singapore and Vegas. #F1

Apparently, the Monaco curse didn’t die, it just turned into “nothing good can happen to Charles Leclerc now that he has won Monaco.” 😭 #F1