Published 14 April 2025
e509 with Michael and Michael – stories and discussion all around AI, LLMs, llamas, generated Quake, grokking, generalization and much more.
Michael and Michael get things rolling while Andy is away with a series of AI stories, beginning with Siri, continuing on to the latest iteration of Meta’s Llama 4 models, Scout and Maverick. Following on the llama theme, Michael R is reminded of the intro credits from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After reflecting on an AI generated version of Quake, Michael and Michael turn to an article from the MIT Technology Review, which explores how models would all of a sudden be able to complete a task without a clear explanation as to why. This made Michael M think about a Ted Talk describing how some polyglots acquire languages – check out Lýdia Machová’s talk below for more.
The team touches on the latest app from IconFactory called Tapestry. Tapestry allows users to follow people across a multiplicity of social services, and eliminate duplicate posts. Then, they consider the AR capabilities of the Zeiss Holographic Transparent Display technology. Last up, is the Busy Bar, a device to help others know that you are not in an interruptible state. Check out the bonus links below to find the Rube Goldberg marbles-powered device that influenced the name of the episode.
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Selected Links
AI
9 to 5 Mac article: Craig Federighi’s leadership has already resulted in this major Siri pivot, per report
Visual Studio IDE: AI-assisted development in Visual Studio
The Verge article: Meta got caught gaming AI benchmarks
Intro Credits from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Verge article: Microsoft has created an AI-generated version of Quake
Wikipedia article: Quake
MIT Technology Review article: Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
arXiv paper: DEEP DOUBLE DESCENT: WHERE BIGGER MODELS AND MORE DATA HURT
arXiV paper: UNDERSTANDING DEEP LEARNING REQUIRES RE-THINKING GENERALIZATION
Boy Genius Report article: This is the difference between how humans and AI ‘think’
OpenReview: Evaluating the Robustness of Analogical Reasoning in Large Language Models
Cool Stuff
:tapestry_app: Tapestry 1.1 brings a host of great new features: Follow individual accounts & lists on Bluesky & Mastodon, automatically remove duplicates from the timeline with Crosstalk, and quickly switch your timelines with Tapestry’s redesigned navigation.
Learn more about these features plus dozens of other improvements in today's FREE update of Tapestry – Your personal timeline app.
https://blog.iconfactory.com/2025/04/tapestry-whats-new-no-deja-vu/
Iconfactory blog post: Tapestry: What’s New? No Déjà Vu!
Popular Science article: Smart glass windows would beam in-flight info over scenic views
Bonus Links: More Cool Stuff
The Verge article: Samsung is finally releasing Ballie
The Verge article: You can build these marble runs and connect them to your smart home over Wi-Fi
Wikipedia article: Rube Goldberg
The Verge article: 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:10 — 44.8MB) | Embed
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Great show guys! Sorry I missed the recording.