Category: Uncategorized

HAT TRICK!

Or: In the words of King Crimson, “Three of a Perfect Pair”

It’s nothing new, just that it’s finally getting attention as researchers and those people who are curious about how things work and get used, we’re starting to see behind the façade of AI. This morning’s email (so far!) has yielded three notes from Linked In (ugh) with supposed job postings.

I only went back to using LI when I arrived here in QBC, as I was trying to find a local English school for whom I might be able to teach. Obviously, I’m using search terms relating to my editing, translation/localization, and language-teaching skills as the main terms for searching. It has reached the point that when I see a post from particular “agencies” I delete the email immediately.

Why?

Because even though a post is alleged to be for teaching English, it is invariably about “training” someone’s AI. Worse still, the interviews have been with AI agents. And worse still, it appears that the whole thing has been generated by AI: the post and email, the job description, the interview… all of it.

Three screen caps to show the range of what I’m being sent:

Note that this last one — with the ads all from an organization called “English 1” is reruting almost entirely for teachers to go to China, so maybe it’s not fair to paint them with the AI brush.

The thing is, 404 Media just ran a story about how “AI” means “African Intelligence” due to the manner in which AI firms have been victimizing workers in Africa. What follows in the link below explains further —

https://www.404media.co/ai-is-african-intelligence-the-workers-who-train-ai-are-fighting-back/



… this aligns completely with my amusing myself last summer, tricking chatbots into revealing not just that they were AI chatbots, but even to the level of which versions they were running.

That Grateful Dead quote keeps coming back: “…it’s even worse than it appears.”

META Loves Me, this I know…

OR: Be-cause FaceBook Tells Me So…

Well, that’s amusing… wonder if someone has complained and the Great Gawds of META have acted accordingly… time will tell.

Taking a force break from interacting with them until further notice. It’s not like I haven’t anything else to play with, right [looks over at the synths on the desk and the guitar on the other side]?

“…it’s even worse than it appears.”

Or: WHAT?!?!

How in the hell did these NOT show up in the morning news feeds this past week?

… and here, so with two examples we KNOW this IS NOT SATIRE!

And why the headline above (if you know me, you know I’m not a huge Grateful Dead fan, but sometimes…), you ask? Well, machinations within machinations within in machinations. Sometimes there really ARE patterns to be seen.

And there you have it.


#HUELGA

#USRegimeChangeNOW

#TrumpEtAliaDelendusEst

#DemocracyDiesInOligarchy

“You must remember this…”

Or: I miss Marianne…

In case you were wondering why the US is now engaged in an utterly illegal action against Iran, with the explicit help of Israel —

“Could have come through anytime,

Cold lonely, puritan

What are you fighting for ?

It’s not my security.

It’s just an old war,

Not even a cold war,

Don’t say it in Russian,

Don’t say it in German.

Say it in broken English,

Say it in broken English.

Lose your father, your husband,

Your mother, your children.

What are you dying for ?

It’s not my reality.

It’s just an old war,

Not even a cold war,

Don’t say it in Russian,

Don’t say it in German.

Say it in broken English,

Say it in broken English.

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

Could have come through anytime,

Cold lonely, puritan.

What are you fighting for ?

It’s not my security.

It’s just an old war,

Not even a cold war,

Don’t say it in Russian,

Don’t say it in German.

Say it in broken English,

Say it in broken English.

Say it in broken English,

Say it in broken English.

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting for ?

What are you fighting …”

“Tell Me ‘Y'”

Or: All apologies to Mr. Young

Recent post in Science Daily that raised some questions —

Men Are Losing Their Y Chromosome – and It May Be Deadly

Does loss of Y cause disease and mortality in older men?

Figuring out what causes the links between loss of Y and health problems is difficult. They might occur because health problems cause loss of Y, or perhaps a third factor might cause both.

Even strong associations can’t prove causation. The association with kidney or heart disease could result from rapid cell division during organ repair, for instance.

Cancer associations might reflect a genetic predisposition for genome instability. Indeed, whole genome association studies show loss of Y frequency is about one-third genetic, involving 150 identified genes largely involved in cell cycle regulation and cancer susceptibility.

However, one mouse study points to a direct effect. Researchers transplanted Y-deficient blood cells into irradiated mice, which then displayed increased frequencies of age-related pathologies including poorer cardiac function and subsequent heart failure.

Similarly, loss of Y from cancer cells seems to affect cell growth and malignancy directly, possibly driving eye melanoma, which is more frequent in men.

“In Darkness Let Me Dwell…”

Or: “Semper Dowland, semper dolens”

What fresh hell is this?

Words like “out of control”, “insanity”, “regime change now” are all springing to mind but the regime change needs to be in Washington, DC. I’m not supporting the zealots in Tehran, but I am emphatically calling for invocation of the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution or for the US Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against one of the most corrupt administrations in US history.

Nothing less.

And preferably on the grounds of treason and sedition so that the others engaged in the support of the convicted felon currently residing in the White House can also be removed from power.

https://youtu.be/-ge1VLj2Vf0?si=od8K0n1spHGLcHWo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnaAqbQucu0&list=RDpnaAqbQucu0&start_radio=1

Four hundreds (roughly) separate these two; this is 400th anniversary of Dowland’s death, he “whose touch upon the lute lute doth ravish human sense.”

… hail Freedonia.

Or: “…we’re going to war.

To the Office of the President:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyeKYQdYISg&list=RDyyeKYQdYISg&start_radio=1

https://youtu.be/jBF3K1J9wHI?si=qk-GlwQAOEsYaWen

https://youtu.be/ztZI2aLQ9Sw?si=NtA1PzupxSvby3iI

https://youtu.be/p-JeQduJ0f8?si=2Rr8fXJkHmFZXdEr

… but for the those of us that bear the brunt of your corrupt, grifting, and blatant arrogance:

https://youtu.be/7IX4gWkFqvU?si=CQKFY8EM_sGfz0un

“Paging The Terminator, Line #02…”

Or: He promised he’d be back…

The AI wars are about to begin. Anthropic has been banned from Federal contracts, along with any sub-contractors who use it — and now they are not alone:

“Hundreds ofemployees at Google and OpenAI are backing artificial intelligence technology company Anthropic, which faces a Friday evening deadline to give the Pentagon permission to use its AI system as it wishes or face repercussions from the department. 

Employees who signed a letter alleged the Pentagon was trying to “get them to agree to what Anthropic has refused,” which could imply the Pentagon has inquired with the top AI companies about similar access to their technology. The letter is still accepting signatures.”

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5759106-google-openai-anthropic-pentagon-ai

Note that the letter is still open and accepting signatures.

AI, Food, Delivery Systems

Or: Where is Kiki When We need Her?

Because AI make live so much easier, systems more efficient, and saves money,. right? </CYNICISM OFF>

https://scitechdaily.com/replacing-humans-with-machines-is-leaving-truckloads-of-food-to-rot/

“AI and data-driven systems now shape decisions across agriculture and food delivery. They are used to forecast demand, optimize planting, prioritize shipments, and manage inventories. Official reviews of the use of AI across production, processing, and distribution show that these tools are now embedded across most stages of the UK food system. But there are risks.”

Words, Words, Words…

Or: “Speak, hands, for me…”

So it really is more about how you say it than what you say.

https://scitechdaily.com/the-way-you-talk-could-be-an-early-warning-sign-for-dementia/

“The findings provide some of the clearest evidence so far that natural speech patterns reflect core cognitive skills. Rather than relying only on formal testing in controlled settings, the research suggests that everyday conversation itself may carry measurable signals of brain health. The study builds on earlier work showing that faster speaking rates are associated with stronger cognitive performance in older adults (Wei et al., 2024), expanding that insight to more subtle features of timing and fluency.

The message is clear: speech timing is more than just a matter of style, it’s a sensitive indicator of brain health,” says Dr. Jed Meltzer, Senior Scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute and senior author on this study.”

Heil Scouting Amerika!

Or: “Die neue Verband der amerikanischen Arbeiterjugend

Deep in the midst of watching the Watergate Hearings, several of us were talking about the fact that some of the Utah chapters of the Boy Scouts had received training in the use of automatic weapons — we joked a little about it, given the surreality of what was happening around us. Yes, there might have been the recreational usage of certain herbal preparations of suspect legality, but the facts were out there.

Fast forward to the Orwellian dimensions of the Current Regime and the recent announcement by the “Department of War” —


“WASHINGTON (AP) — Scouting America will alter several policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including one targeting transgender youths, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday as he pushes a campaign against military support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Defense Department in January, which included discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge and introducing a Military Service merit badge as well as waiving registration fees for the children of military personnel.”

https://apnews.com/article/scouting-america-pentagon-military-boy-scouts

This is verging on familiar territory, and not in a good way:

https://universityarchives.princeton.edu/2021/06/a-princeton-area-nazi-boys-camp-and-civil-liberties-in-new-jersey-in-the-1930s/

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/creator-of-taggart-reveals-the-human-stories-behind-an-unlikely-and-unsettling-alliance-on-the-eve-of-wartherell-be-no-more-murders-tv-sleuth-writer-rules-out-comeback/

https://www.scout.org/node/330

‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’

Or: Democracy Dies In Oligarchy

Yes, there were some infractions — ANYONE traveling ANYWHERE these days should be VERY careful about keeping travel documents up to date, but the overall treatment of these two borders on the surrealistically absurd.

“Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, ‘If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone’.

Democracy Dies in Oligarchy

Or: We are all volunteers of Amerika

There was a phrase that appeared frequently — in some circles — in the late 60’s and 70’s among those who understood a modicum of Spanish” “Sal si puedes.”

“Get out if you can.” The phrase actually has a history going back further (of which I was unaware of, but imparts an ever greater weight, being conflated into a single word, the name that has come to commemorate an indigenous massacre in Uruguay on 11 April 1831. So the revolutionary roots actually run deep.

On this, the eve of another State of the (Dis)Union, there is so much blatant corruption evident in The Current Regime. Echoing the words challenging a man whose name has become synonymous for the exercise blatant corrupt power, “Have you no shame?” To which the answer appears to be, “No.”

The open grift, the failure to bring justice for the victims of EpsteinEtCie, the all-but-treasonous behavior of those entrusted with the defense of the country… where does it end? Why is the US so slow to respond?

“On December 3, 2024, accusing the opposition party of engaging in “anti-state activities,” Yoon declared martial law. He suspended political activities, including convenings of the national and local legislatures, and he placed restrictions on the press. Fortunately for South Korea, it was all over within days: Yoon was impeached on December 14, arrested the next January 15, and on Thursday he was sentenced to life in prison.“

One can only hope that resolution is at hand…