Wtf are you saying?! I have 2 libraries and there arent many people in it. Because reading on tablet or pc is much more simple.
Most people dont want Libraries anymore because technology progressed, its digital now!!!
I think actual digital data centers can have value for humanity. You need to store things like Wikipedia and Archive.org and other worthwhile sites and services somewhere.
What is shit is the explosion in "data" centers that are really more like gigawatt space heaters that spit out fake images and wrong statements on the side.
Wikipedia and whole of archive.org probably fit on 1 rack full of drives. 99,999% of what’s on datacenters are literal garbage photos, videos and what not that people don’t delete, and their copies in many other locations for high availability.
Bro. IDK about other countries, but In India, Library Owners have changed the definition of Libraries. Now it is basically a room with desks and computers where people come to study with their own study material instead of having their own collection of books, study material (neither physical nor digital). It is a nice place to study but it ain't a library, it is just a study room for fuck's sake.
Where in India? I've never seen this in the South.
Pune, Mumbai, NCR, Jaipur. These are the places where I have searched for a library and found study rooms instead. Normal Libraries still exist but they are not doing well in Tier 1 cities.
Sheesh. You can always find books in a library in Chennai. In fact there are lending libraries where they only lend.
I visited Chennai Book Fair 2 years ago. Man they have a big reading culture. I loved it. We middies and northies are still stuck with cow politics lol.
I used to shelve books for a living. I just love being in libraries. I like how quite they are... I love that people there have a purpose and it is noble. I love how it is the number one weapon against fascism. I love libraries. It is no wonder why they are defunding them in the USA. We are a disgusting people. I live in the arm pit of the world.
No that's kinda dumb. A digital copy of the book can serve so many people compared to one physical copy of the book. You have issues with how datacenters are used to exclusively serve capital interests.
No that's kinda dumb. Libraries do so much more for communities than house physical books, and at the same time those important historical paper records and books need to be stored somewhere public and accessible. Digital records can be altered. Digital books can be altered. Physical is crucial.
Anyone can read a physical book. Digital books are gatekept behind devices.
Edit: I honestly can’t believe the replies I’m getting. Who knew people oppose physical books that have existed for hundreds of years? This is depressing.
Good thing many libraries nowadays have both. Also libraries offer much more than just books. My local library offers cool classes/programs for kids in the summer.
Digital libraries are still libraries
Have you ever seen a Cybertruck in the parking lot of the public library? Thought so.
I'm half-expecting to see a full-torso apparition in that photo. Maybe some symmetrical book stacking, like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947.
“Get her!” 👻
Maybe, just maybe, AI should do librarian work? Big virtual library where you can just ask a question and instead of answering it AI just points you to category or proposes some specific books?
It's sounds like just a search engine.
LLM is pretty much just a text predictor, predicting next word, next sentence etc in the conversation.
Being a search engine sounds like an upgrade.
In majority of cases LLM is downgrade.
The present problems with AI/LLM are already apparent.
Imagine a library where the librarian assembles the book for you based on your reading history, the whims of the rich person that paid for the library chain, and corporation that wants you to stay engaged with their chain of libraries. The book is handed to you and it’s written to not offend you or be objectively critical of the subject you’re interested in (because if you are asked to be critical of your views you might be butthurt and not come back), and to align with your existing views. Interleaved in the pages are ads for you, too. Just like print magazines. The sources for the info could be compiled from anywhere, but who needs those anyway? Nobody looks at them. The Librarian is only as good as its programming, so every once in a while it’s just gonna make shit up and it definitely won’t criticize the methodology of its developers.
Every time someone asks for that same book it’s different, because it’s re-written for each individual based on their data-mined profile, their required adult identity proof to use the service, and their subscription information.
Or you could go to a public library, for free, grab two or three books on the same subject and compare different views thoroughly and see where the authors got their information from.
We'd still need librarians to do the work at the physical libraries, and they're always going to be the better people to ask. They're not just people who like books; there is a lot of studying and training to be a librarian - I know 2, and they're both among the smartest people I know, and definitely the most well-read. I'd go to them for a book-related question before I do anything else.
It's not as convenient as just typing something up online, but that's kinda the point. Unchecked pursual of convenience is what got us here - do the tried and true thing that takes a bit more effort, and you'll be surprised at how much better it works than the convenient option.
AI is theft. It is designed to dumb you down and make you passive or reactionary. AI is slop and I have yet to find a real purpose for AI. People think they lost their job to AI but the top 10% is the only ones spending any money. We are not on the spread sheet. Our economies are shrinking the wealth is being concentrated to the capitalist class and now we live in a age of brazen imperialism. AI doesn't provide any meaningful value to the working class. It is a magic trick. Karl Marx was right. Chapter Thirty-Two: Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation
disagreed if it weren't for digital media I wouldn't have learned what I know today
Libraries are a lot more than books though.
Library of things gang.
I borrowed a Theramin, garden weasel, and a circular saw all in the same week doing a backyard garden project (the theramin was for fun)
I'd be down with publicly funded digital libraries.
Libby is amazing for anyone who hasn't discovered it yet. It's likely your library supports it.
The replies on this thread are absolutely fascinating. How can people be against physical books is a riddle to me.
Right?!
I saw someone post recently that if libraries were invented today they’d never be allowed to exist and I fear that’s correct.
I threw my back out this weekend moving boxes and boxes of my family's books. Other than weight and shelf space, I have no complaints about paper books.
"We did it, Patrick! We made a technological breakthrough!"
A place for all those who loathe AI to discuss things, post articles, and ridicule the AI hype. Proud supporter of working people. And proud booer of SXSW 2024.
AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
