Local LLMs versus offline Wikipedia

Post by thaumasiotes » Sun, Jul 20, 2025, 2:27 AM UTC

xp84 wrote: post #86

zzzeek wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to read about a technology called "farming". Pretty sure as far as transformative incredible technologies, the ability for humans to create nourishment at global scale blows the pants off the text / image imitation machine

I think you’re probably right, but more because of erroneous categorization of what is a “technology.” We take for granted technology older than like 600 years ago (basically most people would say the printing press is a technology and maybe forget that the wheel and, indeed, crop cultivation). AI could certainly be in the top 3 most significant technologies of things developed since (inclusive) the printing press. W…

Post by 0xDEAFBEAD » Sun, Jul 20, 2025, 2:38 AM UTC

simonw wrote: post #4

This is a sensible comparison. My "help reboot society with the help of my little USB stick" thing was a throwaway remark to the journalist at a random point in the interview, I didn't anticipate them using it in the article! https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/17/1120391/how-to-r... A bunch of people have pointed out that downloading Wikipedia itself onto a USB stick is sensible, and I agree with them. Wikipedi…

Post by rasz » Sun, Jul 20, 2025, 2:57 AM UTC

0xDEAFBEAD wrote: post #93

simonw wrote: post #4

This is a sensible comparison. My "help reboot society with the help of my little USB stick" thing was a throwaway remark to the journalist at a random point in the interview, I didn't anticipate them using it in the article! https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/17/1120391/how-to-r... A bunch of people have pointed out that downloading Wikipedia itself onto a USB stick is sensible, and I agree with them. Wikipedi…

Someone should start a company selling USB sticks pre-loaded with lots of prepper knowledge of this type. In addition to making money, your USB sticks could make a real difference in the event of a global catastrophe. You could sell the USB stick in a little box which protects it from electromagnetic interference in the event of a solar flare or EMP. I suppose the most important knowledge to preserve is knowledge abo…

Post by goosejuice » Sun, Jul 20, 2025, 3:17 AM UTC

progval wrote: post #9

dcc wrote: post #7

One important distinction is that the strength of LLMs isn't just in storing or retrieving knowledge like Wikipedia, it’s in comprehension. LLMs will return faulty or imprecise information at times, but what they can do is understand vague or poorly formed questions and help guide a user toward an answer. They can explain complex ideas in simpler terms, adapt responses based on the user's level of understanding, and…

An unreliable computer treated as a god by a pre-information-age society sounds like a Star Trek episode.

Post by jazzyjackson » Sun, Jul 20, 2025, 4:08 AM UTC

0xDEAFBEAD wrote: post #93

simonw wrote: post #4

This is a sensible comparison. My "help reboot society with the help of my little USB stick" thing was a throwaway remark to the journalist at a random point in the interview, I didn't anticipate them using it in the article! https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/17/1120391/how-to-r... A bunch of people have pointed out that downloading Wikipedia itself onto a USB stick is sensible, and I agree with them. Wikipedi…

Someone should start a company selling USB sticks pre-loaded with lots of prepper knowledge of this type. In addition to making money, your USB sticks could make a real difference in the event of a global catastrophe. You could sell the USB stick in a little box which protects it from electromagnetic interference in the event of a solar flare or EMP. I suppose the most important knowledge to preserve is knowledge abo…