About Perplexity and error correction; About the global warming hoax; GOP corruption & tyranny

A question I had for Perplexity was burning a hole in my brain. So I asked the question. Based on past personal experience, I got the answer I was expecting:

Q: When asked a question and Perplexity gives a wrong answer, but that answer is corrected with a follow up question based on solid evidence, does Perplexity learn from being corrected with correct information, or does Perplexity not remember and use the new information for answering the same question in the future?

A: Perplexity is an AI model, not a learning system. It does not have the capability to learn from corrections or update its knowledge based on new information provided during conversations.

Perplexity is a pre-trained language model designed to generate human-like text based on the data it was trained on. While it can provide coherent and contextual responses, it does not have a mechanism to incorporate new knowledge or learn from feedback dynamically.

When Perplexity generates an incorrect answer and is provided with the right information through follow-up questions or corrections, it does not retain or integrate that new knowledge into its existing model. Each response from Perplexity is generated based solely on its initial training data and the current conversational context.

However, without such retraining, Perplexity will continue to rely on its original training data and may provide the same incorrect answer if asked the same question again in the future. It does not have an inherent ability to remember or apply the corrected information provided during a single conversation.

I think I found a flaw in system. A fly in the ointment. A snake in the wood pile. A hitch in the operation. A hair in the soup. . . . . 

Well, at least Perplexity is honest. 🙃

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The NYT reports:

Climate Change Added a Month’s Worth of Extra-Hot Days in Past Year -- Since last May, the average person experienced 26 more days of abnormal warmth than they would have without global warming, a new analysis found. Hypothetically, had we not heated the globe to its current state, the number of unusually warm days would have been far fewer, the scientists estimated, using mathematical modeling of the global climate. The precise difference varies place to place. In some countries, it is just two or three weeks, the researchers found. In others, including Colombia, Indonesia and Rwanda, the difference is upward of 120 days.

The NYT also reports: Dead Monkeys Are Falling From Trees Amid Brutal Heat in Mexico -- The deaths of dozens of howler monkeys may be the latest sign of the danger extreme temperatures pose to wildlife around the world. Scientists investigating the deaths still don’t know exactly what caused them. But they hypothesize that warmer temperatures may have combined with a confluence of other factors — including fires, deforestation and logging — that have cornered the monkeys in smaller areas of forest with little shade, food or water. The scientists haven’t yet ruled out pathogens, but a recent necropsy on one of the monkeys showed no signs of influenza, including bird flu, or Covid-19, Dr. Pozo said.

And Newsweek reports: Map Shows Florida Cities Break Heat Records Amid Surging Temperatures -- Highs well into the 90s from Texas to South Carolina were reported throughout the weekend. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), record-high temperatures were felt in Central Florida as area residents celebrated Memorial Day. Melbourne experienced its second-warmest May temperature at 98 degrees, while the city of Fort Pierce tied its warmest day of the month at 98.

See, global warming is a hoax, just like the Republican Party and DJT say. /s

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From the Republican Party Corruption Files (not paywalled): Trump makes sweeping promises to donors on audacious fundraising tour -- By tying donation requests to pledges of tax cuts and other policies, Trump is testing the boundaries of federal campaign finance laws. When Donald Trump met some of the country’s top donors at a luxurious New York hotel earlier this month, he told the group that a businessman had recently offered $1 million to his presidential effort and wanted to have lunch. “I’m not having lunch,” Trump said he responded, according to donors who attended. “You’ve got to make it $25 million.” Another businessman, he said, had traditionally given $2 million to $3 million to Republicans. Instead, he said he told the donor that he wanted a $25 million or $50 million contribution or he would not be “very happy.”

Well, there it is ladies & germs. Bribery right out in the open. It is legal and fun. And the USSC would sanction it as just garden variety, constitutionally protected free speech. Yay Republican Citizens United and later Republican USSC decisions that have legalized and sanctioned large scale political corruption. Attaboys! Republicans really know how to do free speech! 

From the Republican Party Tyranny Files: 

Texas GOP Amendment Would Stop Democrats Winning Any State Election

The Republican Party of Texas has voted on a policy proposal that would require any candidate for statewide office to win in a majority of the state's 254 counties to secure election, effectively preventing Democrats from winning statewide positions based on the current distribution of their support.

Democratic voters in Texas are heavily disproportionately concentrated in a handful of major cities which only constitute a small number of counties, while Republicans dominate most of the more sparsely populated rural counties.