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Status Updates posted by william.scherk
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Life is worth living. I like posting at Objectivist Living. It's been great over the years. It looks like it is still good for me, again.
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It usually comes down to the lying grifter class ...
As advertised ...
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Scott Adams skates onto the ice with a heavy load of Ironic Detachment. Somebody is going to read this the wrong way. Since Scott blocks or ignores en masse, don't bother asking him what the f*@k. He's cooked in the shell, like a lobster. You can't uncook a lobster, although in Holonics it can well be imagined.
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I don't know how I did it, but my ClipChamp instance connected me to an orphaned YouTube channel that I should have lost when they terminated Scherk unexpectedly during an earlier purge. The funny thing is that ClipChamp affords me the only access to the channel. I can't delete or update or add cards or anything once it is done. A fine start, as it has four subscribers.
I'll experiment with uploading full "Description" note including timecodes ... we only get one shot!
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Testing raw link from the DALL-E labs at OPENAI.com. [Added: There is something widly inventive and yet creepy about DALL-E's "brains." She or he or They are always learning, always spinning, but they have no freaking idea why the hair is standing up on the back of your neck ... ]
William × DALL·E | 2000 Mules the movie, with Dinesh DeSouza, poster Art Nouveau
LABS.OPENAI.COMCreated with DALL·E, an AI system by OpenAII have quickly become quasi-addicted to the one-armed-bandit 'payoff' moments that come from spending imaging tokens.
DALL-E is not expensive, and they don't have to pay "Brainiac" anything but food and shelter expenses, electricity being paramound food. On the other hand, no doubt there are leagues of software engineers in a bristling competition to Be Best. Who all gots to be paid.
DALL-E's registered site at OpenAI's online ecosystem also gives access to new Beta scrambles for dominance, which are astounding for their ability to churn out non-uncanny items. These are ready to go for web+design purposes -- from logos to draft menus, comic book layouts, cartoons, and on and on.
Compete incessantly and evolve without mercy; another rolling-beta open-ish source engine is in free-first-bag-of-crack mode on Discord (MidJourney).
It does such spendid things as taking a 'seed' picture and then applying text-based instructions. Uncanny Valley of excellence in design. Yet, yes, scary at all points beyond a fifth 'regeneration' ...
MidJourney has an associated web instance for directly image-sharing links. I'll drop a version or two from Twitter in the blank-out below, given time.
A no-co-pay addiction engine comparable to MidJourney is BlueWillow, also on Discord. It has the limitations of censorship for violence, sex and so on, but much tighter than DALL-E. It seems like some of these engine's brains haven't learned any current affairs since 2021, so they are unable to envision who and what are now common meme-fodder.
Bizarre and freaking instance ...
Honourable mention is the brilliant, Caffeine-THC-Dilaudid-Oxytocin lure Deep Dream Generator. I won't link, because you will Spend All Your Tokens and rob grandma's purse to get more.
The newest thing to me that induces mild freakout is a Dramatic Script Maker, in development and just available for tinkering via GitHub depository. Dramatron.
SpoilerEconomist story featuring MidJourney ...
Huge “foundation models” are turbo-charging AI progress | The Economist
WWW.ECONOMIST.COMThey can have abilities their creators did not foresee-
The Edge of Creepy, Again
William × DALL·E | A luscious look-alike Amy Winehouse barmaid raises a very large bottle of Romanian Plum Brandy in one hand. Her eyeliner is very thick. In a lively, Capri style.
LABS.OPENAI.COMCreated with DALL·E, an AI system by OpenAI
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About the "ChatGPT" component of new OpenAI offerings, a fair overview by a marketing fellow:
Is ChatGPT the next big threat to Google’s dominance in the AI market?
WWW.MARKETINGWEEK.COMCan ChatGPT use its AI-driven natural language processing to revolutionise marketing...Pricing for the components laid out here:
Pricing
OPENAI.COMOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to ensure that...-
William,
I've been messing with this for almost a week.
It's fantastic.
So far I have asked it for recipes, poetry and examples of poetic devices (zeugma and so on), scripting advice for Autohotkey (it not only gave me the correct solution to what I wanted, it gave me alternatives), the essential traits of Ayn Rand heroes (they were basic, but all correct), different aspects of story (narrative) and neurochemicals, a friend of mine even got it to write a children's story about a blues guitar playing Rottweiller named Max.
Guess what?
No political agendas in results. No corporate agendas shoved down your throat. At least so far.
I hope it replaces Google.
Elon Musk (the owner of the profit part of Open AI--the source of ChatGPT) is a Leonardo da Vinci character.
btw - Bing has come out and said they are currently integrating their search engine with GPT AI technology.
Michael
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From Jonathan Howard from back in May this year:
Ayn Rand, Objectivists, and COVID
SCIENCEBASEDMEDICINE.ORGHealthcare workers are leaving medicine after coming under attack due to the type of disinformation spread by Objectivists. That's ironic. -
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S,
You should see the (lack of) sources, too.
For the record, the imaged text above comes from an article in NBC News by Marc Caputo (see here).
The Giorno in the passage is Karen Giorno, a former Trump aide in Florida. Notice how Caputo even got into Giorno's head, saying what she thought and all.
That must be one hell of a source, says I when I read that. So I looked for the source and it's right there in the article (the same one as in the link I just gave):
QuoteAbout halfway to Mar-a-Lago, Giorno said in an interview, she realized that Ye, Fuentes and the other man weren’t properly attired.
Nice.
The source is an interview.
Wow.
An interview.
Which one? Published where? With whom?
Blank out.
I looked for this interview for about half an hour all over the Internet using my sundry search talents, but I gave up. I wanted to see if it was fact or fiction or good or shoddy, etc. Maybe this alleged interview is out there. I couldn't find it.
One thing is for sure, though.
Caputo knows Karen Giorno so much he can quote her thoughts. That's a badass. And here I thought I was good at quoting folks, but this guy puts me to shame. I have not found out how to work telepathy yet.
And, of course, Trump must be hiding in a bunker by now. Thise is the one that has him terrified and reeling. Trump knows he is now toast. The wheels are coming off. The walls are closing in. Hands up, don't shoot!
Er...
I'm not sure that last one belongs.
But you know the schtick...
Michael
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Russian television's top draw broadcasts a 'live' studio version of his daily radio/podcast show. In this unbelievable display, he berates refuseniks, 'screened' questions, mobiks, his staff, and emotes about death squads hunting down "retreatists." Tony, you may get a bang out of this, or an opportunity to share a more cheerful RT English article on the subjects of his anger.
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"True believers are not worth conversing with."
That may be true, but it pushes a dispute off the table: how to identify such fixed, bigoted beliefs?
What can one do with bigoted, "can't tell them anything" opinions and proclamations?
What options are open ... ?
What do we say to Margarita Simonyan's chilling declaration?
Homework assignment ...
The Long History of Glenn Greenwald’s Kissing Up to the Kremlin - The Bulwark
WWW.THEBULWARK.COMIn his world, it seems America can do nothing right and Vladimir Putin can do... -
Excerpt: "In the months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, maverick journalist Glenn Greenwald has emerged as one of the loudest anti-Ukraine voices in the American media, with all the usual themes: transparent gloating over Russia’s apparent war gains in Eastern Ukraine; alarmism over United States support for Ukraine leading to World War III; even the flogging of “American biolabs in Ukraine” conspiracies in his Substack newsletter and in videos. While Greenwald has made overwrought claims about the “neo-Nazi menace” of the Azov Regiment, his only response to reports of Russian atrocities in Bucha has been to warn about the dangers of falling for “war propaganda” and “social media’s manipulations.”"
This article is itself a propaganda plug.
At a skim, looks like I'd agree with Greenwald. But I don't think he is anti-Ukraine as such, nor 'a Putin appeaser'.
I see a lot of innuendoes and character assassination and shortage of argument by the author, one of the neo con/neo lib fraternity, no doubt. Possibly she's on the payroll of a propagandist organization.
This entire war and all the proponents of Ukraine, and defeating/weakening/etc., Russia, relies on - our side can do and has done nothing wrong: all the evils rest with the other. AND - if you can't see that (by which is meant, instantly *feel* it) you are just as evil. But Ukraine's government/ military does not hold the moral high ground, if one is prepared to educate oneself on past doings (and inactions) by all players.
If you open up the "gloating" link to GG's tweet you read no gloating there about Russian advances, just some common sense and a mention of dialogue.
Greenwald is likely of a mind that would have urgently averted the war - the prevention of which there were plenty of opportunities, but tellingly not taken up by the relevant major powers. They expected it, clearly. Above all, he likely believes that lives - without ethnic etc., discrimination - are and were too worthy to be lost for the list of stupidities, hubris and evasions that helped bring it about. Therefore, he is indeed pro-Ukraine and holds higher standards than many in the West; it is all others, the so-called 'pro- Ukrainians' in the West, who in truth demand personal "satisfaction" and retribution for Putin scaring them so, and would have those Ukr people go to any lengths but negotiate, and small matter that the country gets destroyed for that self-indulgent luxury.
So long as Russians too, are massacred, and the movie ending of final victory is achieved. The callousness - and gloating - of altruists shows in the delight displayed in the media when a battle is won with huge losses. The deaths of even soldiers on either side is repulsive.
Conserving lives v. sacrificing lives. Are you beginning to understand the evils of altruism?
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Tony, this is unwarranted.
QuoteWilliam would have it that Ukrainian soldiers are incapable of committing atrocities.
It comes down to Empire, or "Empire." There can only be one Evil Empire for the Blumenthal faction (exemplified by the Grayzone) to oppose.
Or, there are two "camps" of opposition to Imperialism. All the best 'woken' people oppose Western Imperialism. If you don't stand with Grayzone dogma, you are a NATO stooge or worse.
Do I exaggerate?
Tony, please try be more of an objectivist in one area -- recommending opinions as truth. It concerns me that you will not discuss Al-Mayadeen. I want you to put your emotions and insulting mind-reading aside and explain why you grant that outlet status. Please answer the question put to you earlier.
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While an alleged unlawful killing of captured/surrendered prisoners is investigated in Ukraine, the disturbing brief videos circulating have contributed to Russian propaganda.
In this seven-minute cut, prime-time Russian television confronts the notion war crimes. It has some harrowing moments ...
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"We have always been at war with Infrastructure Week."
No comment yet from Iranian-Hezbollah media such as Al-Mayadeen.
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Russian forces have announced a withdrawal from Kherson.
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A Clockwork Solar System! The first time I have seen this rare polar Moon view phenomenon. Most likely CGI ...
Added: fooled a few ...
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Russia seems to have "suspended" Telegram from its digital space, although the reports I have read say Telegram is not "blocked." There are some horrors coming out from the front lines and at first glance this seems like closing off discussion or reporting or speculation or whatever.
Russian Telegram is big if not vast and its varied stars often present as well-informed ... a proximate cause of the suspension is what they share of some woefully-prepared "meat-grinder" conscripts at the southern (Kherson) line of hostilities.
Let a hundred flowers bloom.
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Three hours at the Valdai Discussion Club.
I've seen a couple of gripes that the SkyNews simultaneous interpretation was not ideal. You can also read a summary of the Putin Tootin' from Konstantin Kisin, at his Substack.
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From the folks behind "Watch the Water**," via StewPeters.com:
DIED SUDDENLY, COMING NOVEMBER 2022
WWW.BITCHUTE.COMDIED SUDDENLY, COMING NOVEMBER 2022 (OCTOBER 20 2022) Died Suddenly, Coming November 2022 https://rumble.com/v1oz5ob-died-suddenly-coming-november-2022.html Quote: "Depopulation was...... there's almost always a purported fact-check on the bombshell indie productions like "Watch the Water."
Quote[...] The video is an interview between far-right radio host Stew Peters, who has a history of using inflammatory rhetoric and spreading COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and Bryan Ardis, a former chiropractor who built a brand around claiming that the drug remdesivir is killing people.
It showed Ardis, who sells acne products and is now using the film to sell what he calls "anti-v" supplement kits online, invoking the Garden of Eden story and a fictional TV show plot as he outlined an elaborate mass-murder scheme that he claimed involves even the pope.
"I think the plan all along was to get the serpent's, the evil one's DNA into your God-created DNA," Ardis said. "They're using mRNA, which is mRNA extracted from, I believe, the king cobra venom, the king cobra venom. And I think they want to get that venom inside of you and make you a hybrid of Satan."
The video’s theory is "miles from reality, and indicates a profound lack of understanding in science and medicine, and much twisted logic," said Dr. David Relman, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. "There is no evidence whatsoever that SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 is caused by snakes or snake venom."
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The most detailed story I could find which transcribed Putin's press conference in Astana ...
[Google Translate: ]
No, he's not a hawk, he's different.
Vladimir Putin at a press conference showed himself to be more of a dove
On October 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a press conference in Astana, at which he said that the mobilization would end in two weeks and that he had no regrets. Kommersant's special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov said that this time the Russian president reported much more news than at the same press conference in Samarkand, and besides, he looked different than then.
Не, он не ястреб, он другой
WWW.KOMMERSANT.RUВладимир Путин на пресс-конференции показал себя скорее голубем -
Remarkable monologue from yesterday. Vladimir Solovyov names the names and asks "where are the results?"