Oct 15, 2026, 12:02 AMWhat if, in some kind of cosmic mind-blowing coincidence, it turned out that LLMs are not conscious, but Furbies ARE conscious and were conscious all along
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:02 AM
Replies
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:03 AM
It just RANDOMLY turns out that the Texas Instruments SN69438P chip, used in the Furby's pseudo-"speech synthesis", houses a soul. Nobody noticed until now because nobody looked
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:04 AM
Invented a soul detector. Pointed it at Claude. Nothing. Checkmate, sloptivists! While trying to put the soul detector away accidentally pointed it at the furby on the shelf. Steady, strong signal. O shit
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:07 AM
Anyway, read "Fine Structure" (qntm, 2021)
Oct 15, 2026, 12:03 AM@mcc conscious and full of hate
Orb 2069Orb2069@mastodon.onlineOct 15, 2026, 12:24 AM@mcc
https://qntm.org/structure
...for the lazy.
maceyesinthefire@oldbytes.spaceOct 15, 2026, 1:40 AM@mcc i tried to start reading this earlier today. Weird coincidence! It was too nonlinear for me...
- Oct 15, 2026, 1:41 AM
@eyesinthefire Dude's other book "Ra" is a lot closer to a conventional linear story
arosienarosien@fosstodon.orgOct 15, 2026, 12:33 AM
Oct 15, 2026, 3:31 AM@mcc 😆
Baloo UrizaBalooUriza@social.tulsa.ok.usOct 15, 2026, 2:03 PM@mcc Turns out there's someone on the other side of the wall behind the shelf.
- Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
@BalooUriza …IT'S ANOTHER FURBY!!
Oct 15, 2026, 12:12 AM@mcc Second twist: it's only the Furbies. Humans don't have souls.
airakoseairakose@mastodon.gamedev.placeOct 15, 2026, 12:21 AM@mcc Oh this one kid I went to school with who had a penchant for lighting furbies on fire knew
llewellyllewelly@sauropods.winOct 15, 2026, 12:28 AM@mcc
random?it wasn't random.
Teddy Ruxpin dolls were souless, and as a result, they would suddenly switch to heavy metal. This was in the middle of the "satanic panic", and parents were terrified.
Tiger Electronics and Texas Instruments thought a repeat scandal could be avoided by imbuing each speach synth chip with a soul. A good, christian soul.
It didn't work, but they tried. Nobody knows where they found so many good christian souls, though.
foolfool@brontosin.spaceOct 15, 2026, 12:03 AM@mcc they would have deserved it
brennenbrennen@federation.p1k3.comOct 15, 2026, 12:04 AM@mcc furby organ guy in the hague
margotemaytch@mastodon.socialOct 15, 2026, 12:23 AM@mcc they say eyes are the windows to the soul, and, well, a furby has eyes and claude...
James WidmanJamesWidman@mastodon.socialOct 15, 2026, 1:52 AM@emaytch @mcc if anyone puts googly eyes on a data center we're toast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc7qJE9Nzo8
Oct 15, 2026, 12:50 AM
clifflecliffle@hachyderm.ioOct 15, 2026, 12:53 AM@mcc well this original one I taxidermied decades ago is going to be a problem for me then
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:59 AM
@cliffle "actually this is very comfortable"
- James WidmanJamesWidman@mastodon.socialOct 15, 2026, 1:48 AM
@mcc imagine, if you will, a recursively self-improving Furby
Shrikeshriver@mastodon.sdf.orgOct 15, 2026, 2:44 AM@mcc My college roommate would go to jail for crimes against humanity, that's what.
- bbukbbuk@mastodon.socialOct 15, 2026, 3:33 AM
@mcc I remember those 20Q key fobs.
GreenSkyOverMe (Monika)GreenSkyOverMe@ohai.socialOct 15, 2026, 5:04 AM@mcc oh oh
