Pavel Sokolovsky

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fun facts · Sep 2024

Robot table tennis.

“This work takes a step towards that goal and presents the first learned robot agent that reaches amateur human-level performance in competitive table tennis. “ ~ learn more

fun facts · Sep 2024

Can one get a deterministic output from an LLM?

Not really. “The response itself depends on the amount of layers offloaded onto the GPU, and your drivers. Basically you can only get the same output with the exact same input with exactly the same setup, that's consistent, but change any variable just the slightest, and it'll diverge.” ~ learn more

fun facts · Sep 2024

Why the tomato was feared in Europe for more than 200 years.

“A nickname for the fruit was the “poison apple” because it was thought that aristocrats got sick and died after eating them, but the truth of the matter was that wealthy Europeans used pewter plates, which were high in lead content.” ~ learn more

retail therapy · Sep 2024

Shein accuses Temu of running “fraud” marketplace.

“Moreover, Shein claims that Temu has “continuously directed and used unfair and unlawful means” to compete, including by stealing valuable trade secrets, “egregiously” infringing on Shein’s copyrights, as well as poaching its resources, employees, and suppliers.” ~ learn more

retail therapy · Sep 2024

True Classic hype video.

This is a pretty impressive sizzle reel for a t-shirt company. ~ learn more

to your health · Sep 2024

The compounding loophole for GLP-1 drugs.

Scott Alexander once wondered how the economy would handle a $12,000/yr drug that everybody wants (i.e. Ozempic). We haven’t seen the official price become the market price, though, because patent protections for the drug are currently suspended. That’s the compounding loophole. ~ learn more

better doing · Sep 2024

Supermarkets are dens of trickery and deception.

“A red or orange plastic net around the fruit helps to give the impression that the orange peel is a richer orange color, thereby making it look juicy and appealing to consumers. If the fruit is unripe, the colored net will also downplay its greenness and boost its orangeness, making it look ripe and more appetizing.” ~ learn more

tech, startups, internet · Sep 2024

Eric Schmidt private Stanford talk.

It went around the news that he said Google chose work life balance over winning. That’s in here, and the rest of the talk is good too! The transcript and recording are both available. ~ learn more

tech, startups, internet · Sep 2024

Rob May on AI investing.

“Maybe it seems a little counterintuitive, but, I evaluate AI companies by looking for unique customer acquisition attributes. The indirect impact of AI is that those have become more valuable.” ~ learn more