From Pine View Farm

A Tune for the Times 0

(Warning: Mild language.)

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

A step forward? SFGate’s Drew Magary minces no words:

. . . AI is garbage.

Follow the link for more unminced words.

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American Stasi 0

Sam and the crew discuss the elements of white nationalism and racism in the Trump maladministration’s crack down on immigrants brown people.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

When I was a young ‘un, shooting at tin cans in the back yard of Pine View Farm (except during hunting season, because there might have been hunters in the woods on the other side of the field behind the back yard and the bullet from a .22 rifle can carry for a a mile or more), I was taught to treat every gun as if it were loaded unless I personally verified that it was not. (I was a pretty good shot, too. I once picked off a–oh, never mind.)

I was also taught never to point a gun at anything or any creature unless I intended to shoot it.

Apparently, those lessons aren’t taught any more, because we have become a society of stupid fascinated with firearms, but with no concept of how to use them properly.

Musical NotesGuns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.

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The Rule of (International) Lawless 0

In the background, a small fishing boat burns. A hispanic-looking man clings to a piece of wood labeled

Click for the original image.

Afterthought:

I doubt I shall live long enough to see the United States restore the international credibility that the Trump maladministration has so befouled with the stench of its venality in just a few short months.

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Twits on Twitter X Offenders 0

It’s all about me twits.

(Or maybe we should call them “xits.”)

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Russian Impulses 0

Michael in Norfolk.

Just go read his post.

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QOTD 0

Blaise Pascal:

Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.

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Cabinet Capers, Reprise 0

(Warning: Mild language.)

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

Capable of counterfeiting evidence? Ask Florida Woman.

And, one more time, “social” media isn’t.

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Republican Thought Police 0

Once again, the Republican thought police exercise their freedom to repress.

The University of Alabama has suspended two student magazines, seemingly because (gasp!) they recognize that not all persons are alike. Here’s a bit from the news story (emphasis added):

Alice Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six, the two magazines affected, were both university-funded through the university’s Department of Student Life. Both magazines, which were launched in 2015 and 2020 respectively, were geared toward a specific audience. Alice’s work focused primarily on health, wellness, fashion and women’s issues, and Nineteen Fifty-Six mainly covered Black culture and life on UA’s campus. Each magazine published one print issue each semester.

A statement from the university said that the decision was fueled by a need to “comply with our legal obligations.” (An anti-DEI memo from AG Pam Bondi–ed.)

“This requires us to ensure all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive University funding from the Office of Student Media,” wrote Alex House, a spokesperson for the University of Alabama, in the University’s statement.

Apparently, in Republican World, the way to make persons feel welcome is to pretend that they don’t exist.

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Cabinet Capers 0

Lawrence talks with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about the abominable antics of Donald Trump’s cabinet appointees.

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The Disinformation Distributors 0

RFK Jr.'s brainworm says

Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

Apparently that is no longer the case.

Image via Job’s Anger.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Yet another “responsible gun owner” exposes a child to politeness.

The 14-year-old’s mother brought a handgun in her purse for a scheduled medical appointment at the hospital, 1801 Hickman Road, according to a news release from Des Moines Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek. She left the purse with her son and, while alone in the room, he accidentally fired it, striking himself in the leg, Parizek said.

One more time, “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron.

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Real Big Men 0

Methinks Atrios’s definition is quite en point.

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QOTD 0

Dwight Eisenhower:

Democracy is essentially a political system that recognizes the equality of humans before the law.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Security maven Bruce Schneier looks at the hype and hoopla over AI and hears a rhyme. Here’s a bit of his article:

But even as it offers endless potential, AI is a technology that—like the state—gives others new powers to control our lives and experiences.

We’ve seen this out play before. Social media companies made the same sorts of promises 20 years ago: instant communication enabling individual connection at massive scale. Fast-forward to today, and the technology that was supposed to give individuals power and influence ended up controlling us. Today social media dominates our time and attention, assaults our mental health, and—together with its Big Tech parent companies—captures an unfathomable fraction of our economy, even as it poses risks to our democracy.

_______________

*Mark Twain.

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Patriot Pariah Gamers 0

I never expected to find myself living in a rogue state . . . .

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Yet another “responsible gun owner” displays politeness on the pavement.

Musical NotesGuns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.

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From Pine View Farm
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