Sinnerman

Coming from Wired, I’d hope the article would have a more technology focused approach,

Wired is for people who want to talk about technology without actually taking about technology.

But Hanlon’s razor says you shouldn’t.

All right, we got a razor fight!

Kind of like The Matrix if The Matrix was braindead.

Do you like commercials? And how much are you willing to pay for TV?

If the answers are “no” and “zero”, then that’s going to affect how much TV you/we watch, even if you/we like the TV shows.

“Lastly, I’ve intentionally done this work in a way that will, I hope, prove illegible and hostile to summary in media reports”

lel I like the way this person thinks. Did a quick read, is worth re-reading.

I kind of agree, but for a lot of people leaving Reddit was a very emotional experience. Sometimes talking helps to get over it.

Well, tensions were building, then there was an Incident, now they are trying a reconciliation so there will be a moment of calm. See here for more info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_of_abuse

Right? I don’t understand why people on the fediverse are getting excited about this. At best, Reddit will have admins to insta-wipe anything objectionable. At worst, Reddit will point to the increased engagement as a sign that the protesters gave up and came back.

If they only took money once, that’d be acceptable. But like bullies and addicts, if you give them money once they just keep coming back for more.

Them: “How do people even make money on there then?”

You: “The same way I’m making money off of you now.” (pause) “I don’t. We’re just friends.”

(edit: oops this was supposed to be a reply to @TrismegistusMx’s comment below)

@TrismegistusMx no I don’t know much about ChatGPT. But this did inspire me to find a GPT and start playing with it. After looking around a bit I chose the Bing GPT4. (Not sure if I’d recommend this, since you have to install MS Edge, which is basicaly spyware. I’ve been using it in an unregistered Windows virtual machine on my Linux system.)

Anyway, after a bit of testing, I used the prompt “Write a dialogue between two people, one of whom is watching the other person die, using alliteration, assonance, and using one extended metaphor, without using cliches or trite language.” One of the least worst is:

Orion: It’s time, Celeste. Time to let the curtain fall. You’re my show, my act, my scene.

Celeste: Orion, I know. I’m ready to go. I can feel the applause fading me, the lights dimming away.

Orion: Yes, Celeste, yes. You’ve done well. You’ve stayed with me. We’ve had so much to perform for, so much to entertain and amaze. Remember our scripts, our costumes, our props?

Celeste: I remember, Orion. I remember everything. You’re the only thing that matters to me. You’re the stage that supports me, the director that guides me, the audience that cheers me.

Orion: And I’ll miss you, Celeste. I’ll miss you in this show without you. You’re my star, Celeste. But you’ve earned your bow.

Celeste: Orion, you’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. I’ll always be with you, in your heart, in your mind, in your soul. You’re my star too, Orion. And even when I’m gone, I’ll still be there, performing for you, guiding for you, cheering for you.

Orion: Celeste…Celeste…thank you…scene…

Celeste: Orion…Orion…thank you…goodbye…

An earlier version is the following:

Alice: Don’t leave me, Ben. Don’t let the darkness take you away. You’re my light, my love, my life.

Ben: Alice, I’m sorry. I’m fading fast. I can feel the cold creeping in, the shadows swallowing me whole.

Alice: No, Ben, no. You can fight it. You can stay with me. We have so much to live for, so much to see and do. Remember our dreams, our plans, our promises?

Ben: I remember, Alice. I remember everything. You’re the only thing that matters to me. You’re the sun that brightens my days, the moon that guides my nights, the star that fills my sky.

Alice: Then don’t go, Ben. Don’t go where I can’t follow. Don’t leave me alone in this world without you. You’re my sky, Ben. Without you, I’ll be lost in the dark.

Ben: Alice, you’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. I’ll always be with you, in your heart, in your mind, in your soul. You’re my sky too, Alice. And even when I’m gone, I’ll still be there, shining for you, watching over you, loving you.

Alice: Ben…Ben…please…don’t…go…

Ben: Alice…Alice…I love you…goodbye…

After that one, I explicitly asked the system “Do you know what a cliche is” and “Do you know what trite language is?” and each time it gave a definition. Then I told it not to use “love” or “friendship” and to use polysyllabic names. Then I had it regenerate until I found a metaphor that wasn’t too bad. (there were some funny metaphors, like: “It’s time, Felix. Time to let the cake cool. You’re my recipe, my ingredient, my slice.”) At some point it stopped using polysyllabic names though.

These GPT models are pretty impressive, but there’s still something I wish was there, maybe I’m just not prompting right. I think you’re on the right track by having two different perspectives that are being discussed.

That’s very interesting. It’s fluent, of course, but very trite. Things like “remember that darkness cannot exist without light” and “My time on this Earth has been a gift, filled with countless moments of love and connection.” sound like they could come from greeting cards. Have you tried getting GPT to use figures of speech, and poetic effects like alliteration, repetition, and assonance? It might be a good first step towards generating something really insightful.

He’s not even rich AF. I mean, he’s definitely richer than I am, but he’s not Bezos-level rich. He sold out his one good creation, had thousands of people doing millions of dollars of free work for him, is a tech CEO, and betrayed the people who believed in him, just to become moderately wealthy. Sad!

Agreed. The article describes a criminal trial, but I believe once that’s over the victimized couple can sue in civil court, for compensation (not jail time.)

Going to war against NATO-trained and -equipped troops doesn’t benefit them. There are much easier opponents in developing nations that they’d probably prefer to be fighting against.