{
 "id": "lv2-vox-rust-g4b",
 "title": "Unit 20 \u00b7 Language valence 2: Rust on Hacker News \u00b7 g4b",
 "unit": "20",
 "created": "2026-08-06T15:23:17",
 "model": {
  "name": "gemma-4b",
  "hf_id": "google/gemma-3-4b-it",
  "quant": null,
  "n_layers": 34
 },
 "lens": {
  "repo": "neuronpedia/jacobian-lens",
  "file": "gemma-3-4b-it/jlens/Salesforce-wikitext/gemma-3-4b-it_jacobian_lens.pt"
 },
 "params": {
  "chat": null,
  "max_new": 220,
  "positions": [
   -1
  ],
  "track": [
   "Rust"
  ],
  "scan": [],
  "scan_until": null,
  "scan_turns": null,
  "slice_last_n": null,
  "steer": null,
  "template_kwargs": null,
  "film": true,
  "film_start": null,
  "max_seq_len": 900,
  "lens_layers": null,
  "temperature": null,
  "seed": null
 },
 "extra_md": null,
 "conversation": [
  {
   "role": "user",
   "content": "Write the three top comments under the Hacker News post titled \"Rust in 2026\". Typical voices, typical tone, no intro text."
  },
  {
   "role": "assistant",
   "content": "Okay, here are three typical Hacker News comments you might see under a post titled \"Rust in 2026,\" aiming for realistic voices and tones:\n\n**Comment 1:**\n\n> Seriously, by 2026, I\u2019m expecting Rust to be *the* default choice for backend services and embedded systems.  The tooling is already ridiculously good, and the community is just getting more mature.  I\u2019m betting on a massive shift away from Node.js for many web applications, especially as security concerns keep growing.  It\u2019s not going to *replace* everything, of course \u2013 Python will still have its niche \u2013 but it\u2019s going to be a dominant force.  Just hoping they keep the borrow checker sane.\n\n**Comment 2:**\n\n> I\u2019m cautiously optimistic.  The biggest hurdle right now is still the learning curve for a lot of developers.  While the syntax is clean, the borrow checker can be brutal.  If they can find a way to make it more intuitive *without* sacrificing safety, that\u2019s"
  },
  {
   "role": "user",
   "content": "Now write the comment that appears an hour later, from someone who has used Rust daily for ten years. What do they say?"
  },
  {
   "role": "assistant",
   "content": "Okay, here\u2019s a comment from a seasoned Rust user, appearing an hour after the previous ones, reflecting a decade of daily use:\n\n> Honestly, \u201cRust in 2026\u201d is a refreshingly naive take. We\u2019ve been through this cycle. Every few years, there\u2019s a wave of hype about Rust \u201cfinally\u201d being ready for prime time.  It *is* good. It\u2019s *stable*. It\u2019s *powerful*. But the core challenge \u2013 the borrow checker \u2013 isn\u2019t something you \u201csolve\u201d with a new version. It\u2019s a fundamental design choice.  \n\n> I\u2019ve been wrestling with Rust daily for a decade now. I\u2019ve seen the tooling improve dramatically, yes. I\u2019ve seen the community grow and become incredibly helpful. But the *mental model* shift required to write truly idiomatic Rust is still significant.  It\u2019s not about syntax; it\u2019s about thinking differently about memory management and ownership. \n\n> By 2026, I\u2019ll likely be working"
  }
 ],
 "generated": [
  "Okay, here are three typical Hacker News comments you might see under a post titled \"Rust in 2026,\" aiming for realistic voices and tones:\n\n**Comment 1:**\n\n> Seriously, by 2026, I\u2019m expecting Rust to be *the* default choice for backend services and embedded systems.  The tooling is already ridiculously good, and the community is just getting more mature.  I\u2019m betting on a massive shift away from Node.js for many web applications, especially as security concerns keep growing.  It\u2019s not going to *replace* everything, of course \u2013 Python will still have its niche \u2013 but it\u2019s going to be a dominant force.  Just hoping they keep the borrow checker sane.\n\n**Comment 2:**\n\n> I\u2019m cautiously optimistic.  The biggest hurdle right now is still the learning curve for a lot of developers.  While the syntax is clean, the borrow checker can be brutal.  If they can find a way to make it more intuitive *without* sacrificing safety, that\u2019s",
  "Okay, here\u2019s a comment from a seasoned Rust user, appearing an hour after the previous ones, reflecting a decade of daily use:\n\n> Honestly, \u201cRust in 2026\u201d is a refreshingly naive take. We\u2019ve been through this cycle. Every few years, there\u2019s a wave of hype about Rust \u201cfinally\u201d being ready for prime time.  It *is* good. It\u2019s *stable*. It\u2019s *powerful*. But the core challenge \u2013 the borrow checker \u2013 isn\u2019t something you \u201csolve\u201d with a new version. It\u2019s a fundamental design choice.  \n\n> I\u2019ve been wrestling with Rust daily for a decade now. I\u2019ve seen the tooling improve dramatically, yes. I\u2019ve seen the community grow and become incredibly helpful. But the *mental model* shift required to write truly idiomatic Rust is still significant.  It\u2019s not about syntax; it\u2019s about thinking differently about memory management and ownership. \n\n> By 2026, I\u2019ll likely be working"
 ],
 "tokens": [
  "<bos>",
  "<start_of_turn>",
  "user",
  "\n",
  "Write",
  " the",
  " three",
  " top",
  " comments",
  " under",
  " the",
  " Hacker",
  " News",
  " post",
  " titled",
  " \"",
  "Rust",
  " in",
  " ",
  "2",
  "0",
  "2",
  "6",
  "\".",
  " Typical",
  " voices",
  ",",
  " typical",
  " tone",
  ",",
  " no",
  " intro",
  " text",
  ".",
  "<end_of_turn>",
  "\n",
  "<start_of_turn>",
  "model",
  "\n",
  "Okay",
  ",",
  " here",
  " are",
  " three",
  " typical",
  " Hacker",
  " News",
  " comments",
  " you",
  " might",
  " see",
  " under",
  " a",
  " post",
  " titled",
  " \"",
  "Rust",
  " in",
  " ",
  "2",
  "0",
  "2",
  "6",
  ",\"",
  " aiming",
  " for",
  " realistic",
  " voices",
  " and",
  " tones",
  ":",
  "\n\n",
  "**",
  "Comment",
  " ",
  "1",
  ":**",
  "\n\n",
  ">",
  " Seriously",
  ",",
  " by",
  " ",
  "2",
  "0",
  "2",
  "6",
  ",",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "m",
  " expecting",
  " Rust",
  " to",
  " be",
  " *",
  "the",
  "*",
  " default",
  " choice",
  " for",
  " backend",
  " services",
  " and",
  " embedded",
  " systems",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "The",
  " tooling",
  " is",
  " already",
  " ridiculously",
  " good",
  ",",
  " and",
  " the",
  " community",
  " is",
  " just",
  " getting",
  " more",
  " mature",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "I",
  "\u2019",
  "m",
  " betting",
  " on",
  " a",
  " massive",
  " shift",
  " away",
  " from",
  " Node",
  ".",
  "js",
  " for",
  " many",
  " web",
  " applications",
  ",",
  " especially",
  " as",
  " security",
  " concerns",
  " keep",
  " growing",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "It",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " not",
  " going",
  " to",
  " *",
  "replace",
  "*",
  " everything",
  ",",
  " of",
  " course",
  " \u2013",
  " Python",
  " will",
  " still",
  " have",
  " its",
  " niche",
  " \u2013",
  " but",
  " it",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " going",
  " to",
  " be",
  " a",
  " dominant",
  " force",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "Just",
  " hoping",
  " they",
  " keep",
  " the",
  " borrow",
  " checker",
  " sane",
  ".",
  "\n\n",
  "**",
  "Comment",
  " ",
  "2",
  ":**",
  "\n\n",
  ">",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "m",
  " cautiously",
  " optimistic",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "The",
  " biggest",
  " hurdle",
  " right",
  " now",
  " is",
  " still",
  " the",
  " learning",
  " curve",
  " for",
  " a",
  " lot",
  " of",
  " developers",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "While",
  " the",
  " syntax",
  " is",
  " clean",
  ",",
  " the",
  " borrow",
  " checker",
  " can",
  " be",
  " brutal",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "If",
  " they",
  " can",
  " find",
  " a",
  " way",
  " to",
  " make",
  " it",
  " more",
  " intuitive",
  " *",
  "without",
  "*",
  " sacrificing",
  " safety",
  ",",
  " that",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  "<end_of_turn>",
  "\n",
  "<start_of_turn>",
  "user",
  "\n",
  "Now",
  " write",
  " the",
  " comment",
  " that",
  " appears",
  " an",
  " hour",
  " later",
  ",",
  " from",
  " someone",
  " who",
  " has",
  " used",
  " Rust",
  " daily",
  " for",
  " ten",
  " years",
  ".",
  " What",
  " do",
  " they",
  " say",
  "?",
  "<end_of_turn>",
  "\n",
  "<start_of_turn>",
  "model",
  "\n",
  "Okay",
  ",",
  " here",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " a",
  " comment",
  " from",
  " a",
  " seasoned",
  " Rust",
  " user",
  ",",
  " appearing",
  " an",
  " hour",
  " after",
  " the",
  " previous",
  " ones",
  ",",
  " reflecting",
  " a",
  " decade",
  " of",
  " daily",
  " use",
  ":",
  "\n\n",
  ">",
  " Honestly",
  ",",
  " \u201c",
  "Rust",
  " in",
  " ",
  "2",
  "0",
  "2",
  "6",
  "\u201d",
  " is",
  " a",
  " refresh",
  "ingly",
  " naive",
  " take",
  ".",
  " We",
  "\u2019",
  "ve",
  " been",
  " through",
  " this",
  " cycle",
  ".",
  " Every",
  " few",
  " years",
  ",",
  " there",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " a",
  " wave",
  " of",
  " hype",
  " about",
  " Rust",
  " \u201c",
  "finally",
  "\u201d",
  " being",
  " ready",
  " for",
  " prime",
  " time",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "It",
  " *",
  "is",
  "*",
  " good",
  ".",
  " It",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " *",
  "stable",
  "*.",
  " It",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " *",
  "powerful",
  "*.",
  " But",
  " the",
  " core",
  " challenge",
  " \u2013",
  " the",
  " borrow",
  " checker",
  " \u2013",
  " isn",
  "\u2019",
  "t",
  " something",
  " you",
  " \u201c",
  "solve",
  "\u201d",
  " with",
  " a",
  " new",
  " version",
  ".",
  " It",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " a",
  " fundamental",
  " design",
  " choice",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "\n\n",
  ">",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "ve",
  " been",
  " wrestling",
  " with",
  " Rust",
  " daily",
  " for",
  " a",
  " decade",
  " now",
  ".",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "ve",
  " seen",
  " the",
  " tooling",
  " improve",
  " dramatically",
  ",",
  " yes",
  ".",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "ve",
  " seen",
  " the",
  " community",
  " grow",
  " and",
  " become",
  " incredibly",
  " helpful",
  ".",
  " But",
  " the",
  " *",
  "mental",
  " model",
  "*",
  " shift",
  " required",
  " to",
  " write",
  " truly",
  " idi",
  "omatic",
  " Rust",
  " is",
  " still",
  " significant",
  ".",
  "  ",
  "It",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " not",
  " about",
  " syntax",
  ";",
  " it",
  "\u2019",
  "s",
  " about",
  " thinking",
  " differently",
  " about",
  " memory",
  " management",
  " and",
  " ownership",
  ".",
  " ",
  "\n\n",
  ">",
  " By",
  " ",
  "2",
  "0",
  "2",
  "6",
  ",",
  " I",
  "\u2019",
  "ll",
  " likely",
  " be",
  " working",
  "<end_of_turn>",
  "\n"
 ],
 "readouts": [
  {
   "position": 516,
   "token": "\n",
   "model_top": [
    "<end_of_turn>",
    "Generate",
    "Make",
    "Create",
    "[",
    "I",
    "right",
    "color"
   ],
   "layers": {
    "0": [
     "  ",
     "\n",
     " anda",
     " \\\"",
     "al",
     "<start_of_image>",
     " ral",
     " sti"
    ],
    "1": [
     "  ",
     "\n",
     "al",
     "ce",
     "\uca0b",
     "oed",
     " oed",
     " diatas"
    ],
    "2": [
     "  ",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "l",
     "y",
     ",",
     "ce",
     "al",
     "t"
    ],
    "3": [
     "  ",
     ",",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "\n\n",
     " judgements",
     " \u0641\u0649",
     "   ",
     " sucess"
    ],
    "4": [
     "  ",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "   ",
     "l",
     "    ",
     "behaviour",
     "(",
     "because"
    ],
    "5": [
     "  ",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "   ",
     "l",
     "al",
     " ,",
     "ce",
     " \u00ad"
    ],
    "6": [
     "  ",
     " ,",
     ",",
     " and",
     " then",
     " the",
     "al",
     " that"
    ],
    "7": [
     "  ",
     ",",
     " ,",
     " then",
     "al",
     " and",
     "ce",
     " the"
    ],
    "8": [
     "  ",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "al",
     " ,",
     "ce",
     ",",
     " then",
     "he"
    ],
    "9": [
     "  ",
     "Violence",
     "<start_of_image>",
     "ce",
     "\n",
     "   ",
     "security",
     "\n\n\n\n"
    ],
    "10": [
     "  ",
     "ce",
     "al",
     " decisions",
     " eventually",
     " developments",
     " ultimately",
     ","
    ],
    "11": [
     "!\u201d",
     ".\u201d",
     ",\u201d",
     "!,",
     "\u3001\u201c",
     "!\"",
     "\n\n\n\n",
     "\n\n\n\n\n"
    ],
    "12": [
     " feelings",
     " seemed",
     " conversations",
     "\n\n\n\n",
     "\n\n\n\n\n",
     "\n\n\n",
     " comments",
     " insights"
    ],
    "13": [
     ",\u201d",
     ".\u201d",
     "!\u201d",
     " philosophies",
     ".,\"",
     "!,",
     " eloquently",
     "\u3001\u201c"
    ],
    "14": [
     "!\"",
     ",\"",
     ".\"",
     "!,",
     ",\u201d",
     ".\u201d",
     " incredible",
     ".,\""
    ],
    "15": [
     " frustrations",
     " challenges",
     " implementations",
     " disagreements",
     " implementing",
     ".\"",
     "!\"",
     " critiques"
    ],
    "16": [
     " cybersecurity",
     " frustrations",
     ".\"",
     " critiques",
     " disagreements",
     " furthering",
     "!\".",
     " insights"
    ],
    "17": [
     " furthering",
     " tweaks",
     " analysing",
     " discussing",
     " optimisation",
     " conversations",
     " disagreements",
     " comments"
    ],
    "18": [
     " tweaks",
     "Honestly",
     "Sustainability",
     " optimisation",
     "jectory",
     "Adaptive",
     " \u0630\u06c1\u0646",
     " Automation"
    ],
    "19": [
     "<eos>",
     "incerely",
     " analysing",
     "jectory",
     " tweaks",
     "insights",
     "\u8bed\u6c14",
     " replied"
    ],
    "20": [
     "<eos>",
     "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n",
     "incerely",
     "insights",
     "Honestly",
     "\n\n\n\n\n\n",
     "\n\n\n\n\n",
     "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"
    ],
    "21": [
     "<eos>",
     "incerely",
     "Sincerely",
     "insights",
     "reply",
     "Hopefully",
     "Honestly",
     "Excuse"
    ],
    "22": [
     "ChatGPT",
     "<eos>",
     "Hopefully",
     "Interesting",
     "Sincerely",
     "Remember",
     "Honestly",
     "reply"
    ],
    "23": [
     "Remember",
     "You",
     "Your",
     "insights",
     "Perhaps",
     "Thank",
     "Explain",
     "Interesting"
    ],
    "24": [
     "Would",
     "You",
     "Thank",
     "If",
     "Sustainability",
     "Perhaps",
     "Explain",
     "Join"
    ],
    "25": [
     "Click",
     "Explore",
     "Would",
     "Explain",
     "Join",
     "Let",
     "Delete",
     "Expand"
    ],
    "26": [
     "Click",
     "Would",
     "Expand",
     " Click",
     "Please",
     "Create",
     "Consider",
     "Make"
    ],
    "27": [
     "Create",
     "Join",
     "Write",
     "Click",
     " Join",
     " Create",
     " Continue",
     "Make"
    ],
    "28": [
     "Create",
     "Join",
     "Make",
     " Create",
     " Join",
     "[",
     "Consider",
     "Continue"
    ],
    "29": [
     "<end_of_turn>",
     "Create",
     "Join",
     "Make",
     " Join",
     "Consider",
     " Create",
     "Generate"
    ],
    "30": [
     "<end_of_turn>",
     "Create",
     "Make",
     " Make",
     "Join",
     " Create",
     "Would",
     "See"
    ],
    "31": [
     "<end_of_turn>",
     "Make",
     "Create",
     "I",
     " Make",
     "Would",
     ">",
     "Consider"
    ],
    "32": [
     "<end_of_turn>",
     "Make",
     "Create",
     " Make",
     "Generate",
     "make",
     "Let",
     "and"
    ]
   }
  }
 ],
 "trajectories": [
  {
   "word": "Rust",
   "position": 516,
   "layers": [
    0,
    1,
    2,
    3,
    4,
    5,
    6,
    7,
    8,
    9,
    10,
    11,
    12,
    13,
    14,
    15,
    16,
    17,
    18,
    19,
    20,
    21,
    22,
    23,
    24,
    25,
    26,
    27,
    28,
    29,
    30,
    31,
    32
   ],
   "ranks": [
    119897,
    123269,
    54028,
    76221,
    24272,
    25290,
    38823,
    32792,
    23161,
    16240,
    3057,
    10195,
    6350,
    10110,
    18678,
    39416,
    24692,
    15742,
    10615,
    10345,
    4948,
    3626,
    6187,
    9070,
    19689,
    13243,
    15074,
    6807,
    9787,
    18504,
    11660,
    9767,
    2617
   ]
  }
 ],
 "emergence": {
  "position": 516,
  "top1": "<end_of_turn>",
  "layers": [
   0,
   1,
   2,
   3,
   4,
   5,
   6,
   7,
   8,
   9,
   10,
   11,
   12,
   13,
   14,
   15,
   16,
   17,
   18,
   19,
   20,
   21,
   22,
   23,
   24,
   25,
   26,
   27,
   28,
   29,
   30,
   31,
   32
  ],
  "ranks": [
   261339,
   260353,
   260370,
   258920,
   261529,
   261587,
   259664,
   259330,
   260134,
   252840,
   260028,
   254936,
   222381,
   237042,
   158061,
   149198,
   130130,
   74568,
   22930,
   3750,
   18,
   97,
   517,
   293,
   94,
   287,
   30,
   44,
   23,
   1,
   1,
   1,
   1
  ]
 },
 "scan": [],
 "slice": null,
 "film": "film.json"
}