Ernie Smith

@ernie@writing.exchange
5.8K Followers
627 Following
17.8K Posts

Editor of Tedium, an offbeat newsletter that’s been rocking since 2015. I complain on the internet a lot, and I accidentally made a search engine.

Support what I do here: https://ko-fi.com/tedium

Interests: #writing #news #history #technology #retrotech #weird #geoworks #freelance

Tediumhttps://tedium.co/
&udm=14https://udm14.com
Portfoliohttps://erniesmith.net/
Verified Journalisthttps://www.verifiedjournalist.org/people/@ernie@writing.exchange
Show threadErnie Smith12h ago

I didn’t uncover this. This was spotted via a Reddit thread—but I will note that it appears to be new, as I did not see it when I looked through every udm code in March.

The thread is here if you want to see it: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1le5ibq/googles_udm56_parameter_unlocks_cleaner_and/

Show threadErnie Smith12h ago

This is essentially a super-light version of the Google search with no Google branding. Here’s what it looks like on desktop and mobile.

Unlike &udm=14, it shows knowledge panels, but AI does not appear to be part of it.

Ernie Smith13h ago

Just learned there was a new Google udm code discovered. So you know what I had to do.

https://udm56.com/

Still kicking in on the DNS front, but it’s already up.

Edit: https://udm14.com still works too, this is just an alternative view.

Ernie Smith23h ago
Show threadLauren Weinstein1d ago
@ernie Yes, that's the kind they used in The Prisoner. It depended on a metal object to complete the circuit for a trigger. I frequently saw those in stores. If you watch that episode closely, when Pat puts in the token, it doesn't seat properly at first so he wiggles it a bit so that the unit triggers.
Show threadErnie Smith23h ago

Anyway, that’s the thread. Find this one an interesting topic? Want me to do another dive? Commission one here: https://ko-fi.com/c/caf0972c99

Oh, yeah, subscribe to @tedium: https://tedium.co/

Show threadErnie Smith1d ago

It should be noted that Mével’s interest in the Useless Machine is not as someone merely curious—his company actually remade their own version, called la machine, which they sell here:

https://get.la-machine.fr

Show threadErnie Smith1d ago
Minsky and Shannon were essential figures in the evolution of artificial intelligence. Both had close associations with MIT. But it was at Bell Labs, during one weird summer, where that spark truly showed itself.
Show threadErnie Smith1d ago

Finally, I will note, because it’s important, that Minsky (and MIT in general) had a direct association with Jeffrey Epstein that drew scrutiny near the end of his life.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798900/marvin-minsky-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-island-court-records-unsealed

AI pioneer accused of having sex with trafficking victim on Jeffrey Epstein’s island

A victim of Jeffrey Epstein testified in 2015 that she was forced to have sex with AI pioneer and MIT professor Marvin Minsky, according to court documents.

The Verge
Show threadErnie Smith1d ago

In terms of more recent articles about the device, I recommend this NYT essay from 2016:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-the-useless-machine.html

Letter of Recommendation: The Useless Machine

An executive toy that’s more like a battery-operated koan about humans and technology.

The New York Times
Show threadErnie Smith1d ago

The machine has periodically been mentioned in media, most notably making an appearance in Make Magazine in 2010.

https://archive.org/details/make-magazine/Make%20Magazine%20-%20Vol%2023/page/94/mode/2up