Comment on Americans are holding onto devices longer than ever and it's costing the economy
cabbage@piefed.social 1 day agoIt’s all over the place. In the middle of the article they suddenly talk about how software updates, modularity and repairability is important so that old devices can be made to keep up with contemporary demands, blaming the fact that this is an issue on big tech.
Then again, other parts are completely nuts.
Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Noticing some em dashes in there, so at least some of this is AI.
The parts about corporate infrastructure sound like a c suite dipshit trying to sound like they know what they’re talking about.
“Our networks run slower because we have to be compatible with older devices!”
No, Judith, your IT department just keeps 2.4ghz wifi available for the old devices while also running 5ghz. Those devices stay slow, but it doesn’t impact anyone else.
“Back in 2010, 100Mb internet was the fastest! No one could imagine gigabit becoming widely available! Stuff needs to be upgraded to handle it!” Judy, tons of businesses were running gigabit in 2010, and common network gear has had gigabit ports for years. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Kirk@startrek.website 23 hours ago
Not saying you’re wrong (pretty sure you’re not) but important to remember that the reason LLMs use a lot of em dashes is because it features so prominently in journalism.
cabbage@piefed.social 23 hours ago
I would have little respect for a journalist who didn’t know how to use an em-dash, so I don’t think that proves anything. But I agree that there is a lack of coherent thought throughout, though that’s something humans are also fully capable of.
But yeah, fully agree. Never mind that network connection speed is not really the relevant bottleneck for most office situations these days. If Germans are less productive due to technology it’s because they still use freaking fax machines over there, not because employees are stuck with five year old smartphones.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 21 hours ago
I – to a certain extent – know how to use an em-dash.
(Source: Former journalist.)
cabbage@piefed.social 15 hours ago
Confirmed—only journalists would have the audacity to place spaces around an otherwise fine em-dash.
anguo@piefed.ca 14 hours ago
Those look like en-dashes.
protist@mander.xyz 23 hours ago
Most word processors will auto-format to em dashes when they detect regular dashes in context of a sentence with a space on either side
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 21 hours ago
That’s great with AP Style. MLA goes in a different direction regarding spaces.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 21 hours ago
Can we please stop with the em-dash bullshit? That’s a literary tool, not a sign of an LLM in play. That people did not encounter them ahead of ChatGPT speaks more to their news diet than the ability to be a literary critic.
Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 hours ago
It’s a literary tool that is so pervasive in LLM output and so unused in most writing that it’s become a common indicator that LLMs may be involved. Considering the disjointed flow from subject to subject and shittyness of the article in general, I think that the odds are in my favor.
Feel free to continue shouting from your high horse though.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 21 hours ago
I’m not sure whence your animosity comes. I’m been a columnist since the '90s, and I assure you: Em-dashes are on the menu.
To claim proof of LLMs is to say it was never done until then. It most assuredly was.