iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

So the OTHER really valuable contribution here may be some level of meta-analysis of the heuristics human mathematicians are using to evaluate progress and choose between approaches.

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It's also striking how much of the commentary I've seen on these proofs seems to be of the form "Oh, this is an approach [name] tried ten years ago and gave up on..." Where success came from continuing down alleys humans had decided were blind.

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Formal math proofs are an especially constrained form of human communication, though, so with the benefit of hindsight, it seems particularly amenable to this kind of approach.

I don't mean to denigrate math, here. The most important contribution of the whole LLM era may well be forcing us to reconsider how much of sophisticated human activity is really just "What's the most plausible next word here?"

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The set of "what move might plausibly come next in this semantic game?" is too large for a human to grind through, but maybe we shouldn't be so surprised that it's a viable approach given the scale of computing resources being thrown at it.

I am very much not a mathematician, or even all that mathematical a physicist, but it seems like formal proof-based math has characteristics that make it well-suited to attack by LLM-ish methods. The rule set is vastly bigger than chess, but still very constrained.

In retrospect, it seems kind of obvious that chess-- a game with a small board and a highly constrained set of moves-- would be solvable by relatively crude means, without requiring general "intelligence."

Some years (~10) back I recall talking with a couple of colleagues about AI, and one of them noted that 30 years ago chess would've been discussed as a hallmark of intelligence, but now it's in algorithm design.

Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Regarding the giant math proof dump, I find myself torn between "This is an incredible advance" and "In hindsight, it's not THAT surprising..." It's a milestone for sure, but when the dust clears, I wonder if this won't be just another case like chess.

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This thread offers an interesting perspective on how things got to where they are with regard to math proofs from LLMs.

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

On the one hand, I would like somebody to knock off the Dodgers. On the other, the crowd in Atlanta is doing the Tomahawk Chop. In 2026. Maybe a blimp could crash into the stadium?

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Sounds like the particle name on the other side of a sort of aluminum/aluminium split.

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“What’s a Qubit?”: More Notes Toward “Quantum Computing for Dogs”

Like all my projects, my idea of working up an explanation of quantum information for non-scientists has been badly slowed by my injuries, but I'm trying to push on. Here's an argument for why you might expect quantum bits to be an improvement: chadorzel.substack.com/p/whats-a-qu...

chadorzel.substack.com

A plausibility argument for why you might expect to win by using quantum bits to do computations

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Words I Am Ironically Unable to Type Quickly: "Quantum" (It always comes out "qunatum" when I'm at speed...)

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The other experiments (or their direct ancestors) have previously been recognized, at least.

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The exceedingly rare solo Nobel! I'm sure this won't be controversial in the least...

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I don't think that synth has been turned off long enough to collect significant dust since that infected bat got sent to market in China.

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Got the cast off my surgically repaired wrist today, hallelujah. Now I just need to scrub away like a quarter-inch layer of dead skin...

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

(If I were these guys, I might consider a charitable donation to help the Nobel Foundation hire a more flattering sketch artist...)

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Reposted by Chad Orzel

Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 05/10/2026

BREAKING NEWS The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

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Reposted by Chad Orzel

Sickos Committee @sickoscommittee.org · 05/10/2026

So I beveled Liberty Biberty - but this is one you look at your own risk.

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I mean, only one whale is the Right Whale...

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Is there something that dictates that the medical tents at games must be blue, or did the NFL just get a break for buying that fabric in bulk?

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A few years ago someone tweeted something along the lines of "Ohio State coach Ryan Day looks like the fourth Ukrainian henchman killed in a John Wick movie," and that will live in my head forever

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I had several beers during the delay, and what may have been the worst Buffalo wings I've ever paid for.

My flight to Albany took off roughly four hours late. Which was awful, but cheaper than rebooking and finding a hotel.

At 2am. One of my least favorite travel days.

The Onion @theonion.com · 02/10/2026

"What is best in life?" "To lie on the couch, reach your arm down, and rub the belly of a Very Good Boy."

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Reposted by Chad Orzel

‘Digger’ Prosthetic Artist Recalls Grueling Process Of Having Tom Cruise Sit Still

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"In the beginning, there were dinosaurs, then they died and turned into oil. Then came the Arabs, and they bought Mercedes-Benzes..."

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I will have you know that I do not, in fact, own an MP3 of "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" (It slaps, though...)

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I am now officially rooting for them to just cancel my flight. It's Chicago, I'll find a place to sleep that is better than another two hours in this airport bar

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Dread VanVleet 🎃🕷️ @velodus.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"Oh, hey, Stereo MCs! You know, for the kids..."

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Reposted by Chad Orzel

This creature was not built to withstand the scrutiny of being shown 5 times a day to viewers during a sport's playoff season

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