Geek Stuff category archive
The Crypto Con 0
Plus ca change, plus la meme chose.
Phoning It In 0
The phone rang. The caller ID showed a number from a city on the other side of the country, a city where I know no one, a city I haven’t set foot in in four decades.
As I sometimes do, I picked up the phone and said nothing. (When I do that, the computer on the other end will often disconnect after 11 seconds.)
After a few seconds, a woman’s voice said, “Hello. I’m Polly, I’m an AI assistant . . . .”
That’s when I hung up.
So, a recording on a computer is now an “AI Assistant.”
Give me a break.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
A mixed bag. Most definitely.
Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders look at how AI may affect politics. Here’s a tiny bit of his most excellent article:
At the national level, AI tools are more likely to make the already powerful even more powerful. Human + AI generally beats AI only: The more human talent you have, the more you can effectively make use of AI assistance. The richest campaigns will not put AIs in charge, but they will race to exploit AI where it can give them an advantage.
But while the promise of AI assistance will drive adoption, the risks are considerable. When computers get involved in any process, that process changes.
Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
0
At Above the Law, Joe Patrice savages somewhat less than taken with Elon Musk’s notion that Twitter’s AI zombie Grok should evaluate court cases.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
Sara Gorman and Jack M. Gorman look at how “social” media helps spread dis- and misinformation about mental health and offer some suggestions for combating the flood of FUD. A snippet:
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The dialog: The pencil sharpener.
The closed caption: It depends on sharper gold.
The stupid: Not artificial.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Fomenting the phony. Well, maybe just a bit. From El Reg:
This trend suggests that many self-proclaimed thought leaders on LinkedIn may be presenting AI-generated content as their own profound insights.
Much more at the link.
Aside:
Speaking of the land of the me-me-me . . . .
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The dialog, at about the 24 minute mark: You’ve got to ‘elp us, Ken.
The closed caption: You got elbows, Ken.
The words: They fail me.
About five minutes later:
The dialog, as Ken calls the name of another character: Rocky! Rocky!
The closed caption: Rookie! Rookie!
Afterthought:
Just because Big Tech calls it “intelligence” doesn’t make it so.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Nigel Bairstow and Jeremy Neofytos argue that you don’t use “social” media. It uses you. A snippet:
Remember, “social” media isn’t.
Influencer Idiocy 0
Emily Balcetis, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, has some issues with how “influencers” promote products. She believes that
Stricter rules are needed to limit harmful social media marketing.
Follow the link for her reasoning and, remember, “social” media isn’t.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The dialog (at the four minute mark): Don’t even think about going to the law about our private business.
The closed caption: Don’t even think about going to the Lord about our private business.
The stupid: It burns.
No Place To Hide 0
There’s a reason internet companies make their terms of service virtually unreadable.
It enables stuff like this.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The serial: Dick Tracy’s G-Men, episode three, which I saw on Tubi.
The dialog: I left orders with the Coast Guard.
The closed caption: I left daughters with the Coast Guard.
The intelligence: Artificial.
The stupid: It burns.
The afterthought: I have daughters. As one who used to be a boater, I have a lot of respect for the Coast Guard, but I’m not sure I’d leave my daugh–oh, never mind.
Running Nekkid through the Inner Webs 0
The EFF explains some ways of protecting yourself from being tracked via your cell phone.
In these days of the surveillance economy, this is a worthwhile read.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
The movie: The Criminal Within (aka Murder at Glen Athol).
The dialog: Why would she do it? She loved Muriel.
The closed caption: Why would she do it she love me oreo.
The stupid: It burns.
Aside:
I love me oreo too, but I prefer Chips Ahoy.
Geeking Out 0
Debian v. 12 (Bookworm) with the Plasma Desktop on a Think Penguin laptop. Xclock is in the upper right; GKrellM, the lower right. The wallpaper is from my collection.
