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Grokking

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Re: Grokking

#21

Post by GoldenRacer »

what-the-grump wrote: post #16
borner791 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 10 years as a "professional" I've never heard it until the last 6 months. I'm EE so different circles, but closer to pure SW people in those last 6 months. I'm not a fan.. I don't know why.

Likely because it’s from an old book that few in the gen xyz have read. It’s been transformed to mean ‘understand’ and it’s pretentious to use in regular settings. I’m a fan of the movie Kin-dza-dza it doesn’t make it acceptable for me to walk around saying ‘Ku’ to strangers.

And if you do read that old book it has a lot of overt sexism and to me it felt like some sort of incel fantasy (I really enjoy older scifi so understand times were different back then but Stranger in a Strange Land felt over the top). So now I associate that word with all the problematic aspects of the book and assume the person using it is either using the word without having read the book or didn't see a problem with the book when they did read it. Neither really makes me think highly of the person.

Re: Grokking

#22

Post by carapace »

ysavir wrote: post #12
lloeki wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These definitions feel somewhat limited, compared to the jargon file entry[0] grok: /grok/, /grohk/, vt. [common; from the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein, where it is a Martian word meaning literally ‘to drink’ and metaphorically ‘to be one with’] The emphatic form is grok in fullness. 1. To understand. Connotes intimate and exhaustive knowledge. When you claim to ‘grok’ some knowledge or tec…

Thank you for sharing this! I used to use Grok incorrectly before reading Stranger in a Strange Land and now lament that the intended meaning is so poorly understood. While I can appreciate the irony that people don't grok grok, I guess I have to acknowledge that language evolves and generalizes, and not even Heinlein, providing a fairly original word and concept, is exempt from that effect.

It's worth noting that the root concept of the Martian word "grok" is to eat, to digest (and thereby become one.)

Re: Grokking

#24

Post by what-the-grump »

GoldenRacer wrote: post #21
what-the-grump wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likely because it’s from an old book that few in the gen xyz have read. It’s been transformed to mean ‘understand’ and it’s pretentious to use in regular settings. I’m a fan of the movie Kin-dza-dza it doesn’t make it acceptable for me to walk around saying ‘Ku’ to strangers.

And if you do read that old book it has a lot of overt sexism and to me it felt like some sort of incel fantasy (I really enjoy older scifi so understand times were different back then but Stranger in a Strange Land felt over the top). So now I associate that word with all the problematic aspects of the book and assume the person using it is either using the word without having read the book or didn't see a problem w…

The book was progressive for its time, shocking to publishers for openly discussing sexuality, religion, establishment.

People reading it 60 years later and finding it sexist I think are projecting a bit of their own insecurities. Considering the book, the current dominant religious institutions on the planet, the scriptures behind those beliefs and institutions, and what’s been going on in America over the past 4 years as far as women’s rights.

Re: Grokking

#25

Post by oh_sigh »

borner791 wrote: post #15
bilvar wrote: post #9

I hate this word with the burning passion of a thousand suns.

In 10 years as a "professional" I've never heard it until the last 6 months. I'm EE so different circles, but closer to pure SW people in those last 6 months. I'm not a fan.. I don't know why.

I think it would be like a youngish person today walking around using 1980s slang. It seems pretty clear in use that it is a conscious, affected choice.

Re: Grokking

#26

Post by nh23423fefe »

what-the-grump wrote: post #16
borner791 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 10 years as a "professional" I've never heard it until the last 6 months. I'm EE so different circles, but closer to pure SW people in those last 6 months. I'm not a fan.. I don't know why.

Likely because it’s from an old book that few in the gen xyz have read. It’s been transformed to mean ‘understand’ and it’s pretentious to use in regular settings. I’m a fan of the movie Kin-dza-dza it doesn’t make it acceptable for me to walk around saying ‘Ku’ to strangers.

> it’s pretentious to use in regular settings.

so its fine anytime because regular means nothing

Re: Grokking

#27

Post by DougMerritt »

Since the title is only meaningful in the AI context for people in the know: 'The "Grokking Paper" is one of the most head-scratching papers to come out in the neural network space...' [training increases accuracy, but more training leads to overfitting, but miraculously, still more training leads to generalization]

Re: Grokking

#29

Post by GoldenRacer »

what-the-grump wrote: post #24
GoldenRacer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you do read that old book it has a lot of overt sexism and to me it felt like some sort of incel fantasy (I really enjoy older scifi so understand times were different back then but Stranger in a Strange Land felt over the top). So now I associate that word with all the problematic aspects of the book and assume the person using it is either using the word without having read the book or didn't see a problem w…

The book was progressive for its time, shocking to publishers for openly discussing sexuality, religion, establishment. People reading it 60 years later and finding it sexist I think are projecting a bit of their own insecurities. Considering the book, the current dominant religious institutions on the planet, the scriptures behind those beliefs and institutions, and what’s been going on in America over the past 4 ye…

“Pipe down, Anne. Close your mouth, Dorcas. This is not a time when women have the vote."

I'm projecting insecurities because I think interactions like that are sexist?

Re: Grokking

#30

Post by what-the-grump »

GoldenRacer wrote: post #29
what-the-grump wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The book was progressive for its time, shocking to publishers for openly discussing sexuality, religion, establishment. People reading it 60 years later and finding it sexist I think are projecting a bit of their own insecurities. Considering the book, the current dominant religious institutions on the planet, the scriptures behind those beliefs and institutions, and what’s been going on in America over the past 4 ye…

“Pipe down, Anne. Close your mouth, Dorcas. This is not a time when women have the vote." I'm projecting insecurities because I think interactions like that are sexist?

>So now I associate that word with all the problematic aspects of the book and assume the person using it is either using the word without having read the book or didn't see a problem with the book when they did read it. Neither really makes me think highly of the person.

You cannot separate the book and person reading the book. Its ok to disagree, its ok to have different views.

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