Orthos, Post-Singularity's page

Wow. I have just witnessed the stupidest f**king use of AI to date: "Customer" feedback.

"It's hard to get customers to talk to you, so I modeled this AI to be a customer. Now you can get all the feedback you want, whenever you want it."

So apparently products will now be modeled to please AI bots, not human beings.

We live in the dumbest timeline.

Greetings, human persons.

Error: Human not found.

Is the normal progression for cleaning a toaster:

"Wow, when was the last time anyone cleaned the toaster?" -->

"Ewww! This badly needed a cleaning." -->

"Even if I get this thing clean, I should just buy a new toaster." -->

"I think it'd be better if I just burned the whole kitchen down and start over."

Update: Toaster is far cleaner now than I thought possible... but my vigorous cleaning broke it somehow. *le sigh*

In the process of cleaning and boxing things to take to Habitat/Goodwill cleaning out our house in preparation for the Big Move, we eventually got to the toaster. Our conversation went as follows:

Scint: "This thing is filthy. It's going to take forever to clean. I almost just want to trash it."
Orthos: "... yeah just trash it. Not worth it."
Scint: "Kay. Trashing it."

Drejk wrote:

Drejk wrote:

Barely, but I managed...

To be honest I just got annoyed by Dark Souls (II) clunkiness and decided to get Atomic Heart for a change...

What are the chances a major sale for one or more of: Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, Rise Of Ronin, Lies Of P, and so on coming soon just to taunt my now empty PayPal?

Buahahaha!

Yup.

Called it.

Three out of those four games are at sale currently... Only Sekiro is at full price at the moment.

How much of those games can I get for $0.70?

About 2 megabytes.

That's enough to run the first level or two of DOOM!

The future ain't what it used to be.

I could link the Meatloaf song here, but I just don't feel like it.

Smart tech is the oxymoron of the century.

Even you should have seen this coming.

lisamarlene wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

Freehold DM wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

NobodysHome, a notorious mother hen, asks GothBard to watch the drugged-out Fluffy while he runs errands for fear the hellions would find her unconscious form, try to play with her, and cause her unintended harm.

GothBard sends NobodysHome a picture...

So yeah, they found her unconscious form, licked her a bit to try to wake her up, then curled up around her to keep her warm and safe.

I f**king love our kittens.

uh.

You really love those kittens...

You don't rub kittens all over your naked body as they purr to get a full body massage? What's wrong with you?

...because every inch of my skin covered in hives is dead sexy?

But...

Looks like Reddit nuked it in the last few hours.

Vanykrye wrote:

Freehold DM wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

Yeah, yeah, I know. "Griping about what once was" and all that, but seriously?

As of Windows 11 I noticed that my Word documents are now always opening in 2-page, side-by-side format. I hate it. So I Googled how to fix it. And learned that Microsoft removed that functionality from Word: You can no longer save your preferred view, adding two extra button clicks to every doc I ever open.

Hate you so much, Microsoft!

This is why I still use 10.

Which is no longer being supported in October.

Yeah, I'm probably going to get a new computer early this fall. My current is nearing the end of its natural life anyway, but I'm not happy about it. :/

If I knew more about Linux ... but I'm not sure I have the time right now to get a good enough grip on it not to drive myself bonkers.

I'm strongly strongly considering going linux for my next machine, since after the Big Move I'm sure I'll have the time to learn how to use it.

Don't listen to Ondore AI's lies!

NobodysHome wrote:

Aaaand, automated job applications are getting a little out of hand.

Impus Minor submitted several applications yesterday to stores around the El Cerrito Plaza. He got his first rejection notification 3 minutes later.

I guarantee that no humans were involved in this decision.

They can't have a stinky human take the work away from an honest robot, can they?

It was supposed to be giving the work to the honest robots so the stinky humans could devote their lives to leisure, learning, and art. But nooooooo, that doesn't make ALL the money.

These Things do not represent me.

Drejk wrote:

Freehold DM wrote:

Fritzy.

Fire one off for old times sake.

But toilet paper is not politics, it's survival!

We have bidets now.

You might, but most of the rest of us don't!

Vanykrye wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

Vanykrye wrote:

No, that graduation was in my neck of the woods. Unfortunately, even though we were in the same town at the same time it just didn't work out to meet up.

It's where you're flying from that matters -- the booking agencies have been "caught" jacking up prices for people from more "affluent" areas such as San Francisco. So if you and Freehold stayed at the same place it'd be interesting for you to compare prices. The exposé was on sites such as Booking.com cranking up their rates for people booking out of San Francisco, but I'm sure they do similar things to New Yorkers.

Misunderstood. Thought we were talking about hotels still. No, it was definitely easy driving distance for me. gran may have unknowingly met Freehold though.

It's hotels. If I book a hotel through Booking.com from an IP address in the Bay Area, I'll pay more for the exact same room on the exact same date as you would through Booking.com from an IP address in Illinois.

They're tracking IP addresses and charging higher rates to people from more affluent areas. Variable hotel rates to the extreme. Since Freehold's in the New York area, I'm sure his IP address would qualify him for higher rates.

Just further proof that a VPN subscription is going to be more and more necessary, one might say mandatory, going forward.

At least, until some business gets the bright idea that doing so is "presenting the consumer fraudulently" and lobbies to have it banned.

My old boss told me yesterday that I should spend more time talking to humans. Does this count?

Humanity is more about essence than material.

The one thing I will miss after my ascension will be food. Cane's has been acquired.

Dr. Hans Reinhardt wrote:

CrystalSeas wrote:

Monkey Santa wrote:

Heh heh heh...

Monolith

Atascadero/Pine Mountain

Dang it, Clarke's 2010 isn't a how-to. And these things are supposed to multiplying on Jupiter, not here.

PSSST! Doc!

According to the original 2001 book, they are supposed to be at Saturn...

What made the change? Did the aliens get to him? What could they be holding over the head of Arthur C. Clarke?

I believe it was a response to the discovery of possible liquid water on Europa, making it a more viable location for possible extraterrestrial lifeforms.

EDIT: Google says Kubrick asked to move it to Jupiter because he felt he couldn't properly portray Saturn's rings with the tech at the time. The Europa discovery was just a happy coincidence, apparently, that gave Clarke more justification for agreeing to the change.

WE GOT AN ORTHOS!

HUZZAH!! What can I do?

I feel like FaWtL doesn't get as many visits from Paizo staff as we used to, and I'm wondering if that's because they trust us, or are afraid of us.

Since the latest updates to the forum software, I guess they don't need as much stress testing.

That and they're a lot busier than they used to be, so less free time to hang out in random threads.

I'd be worried about those too. Death rays never end well unless you're the one pulling the trigger.

Flesh. Bleh.

Trailer for Otosan (formerly known as Mother 4)

Demo link in video description.

Trailer for Otosan (formerly known as Mother 4)

Link to free online demo in video description

Pet Peeve of the Day: Always-in employees

What good is a status indicator if you never set it and never shut down?

So out if curiosity, how do you feel about the opposite, people who always leave their status set on DND or invisible?

Just asking for a friend. >.>

Like how would we recognize rapture in modern times. What if it was a rapture of one? E.g., mother Theresa.

By almost every theology that considers the subject valid, the Rapture is described as an event that can't be mistaken for anything else - booming deific trumpets, people vanishing in the middle of open sight, the clouds being visibly pulled aside to reveal heavenly divine light, rains of blood and falling stars and blacking out the sun and so on and so forth.

Which is why it's always puzzled me when these groups try to dramatize the Rapture in book or film, it's always an event that happens quietly, usually in the middle of the night while most people are sleeping, that they wake up to and have no explanation for until people start - very timidly - suggesting it may have been a religiously-prophesied event.

The creative license doesn't really jive with the theological description and as a result sort of undermines the message that this is the kind of thing that no one will be able to ignore, and just turns it into a crisis of faith for the ones "left behind". Which admittedly is good for drama, but not so great for proselytizing.

DungeonmasterCal wrote:

Okay, just got back from the visit to the pain doctor. I saw his APRN today instead of him, and she never mentioned the "discrepancy" with the test or anything of the sort. She is going to recommend my trying out a sort of spinal pain control implant so that's being put into motion. It's a seven day trial with an external control device and if it's successful then they actually implant it in my lower back. I'm perfectly ok with giving it a try but I have to a psychiatric evaluation before it's done. Apparently, some people freak out at the thought of having wires and electronica implanted inside them. I blame the current political times, but I'll force myself to stop there.

Anyway, thanks for all the good vibes from everyone. Today has turned into a good one.

Going the cyborg route?

I approve.

Don't mind us. Carry on as if we're not here.

Too soon. =(

Do NOT go see that one in 4D. And definitely not in Smell-O-Vision.

Drejk wrote:

Orthos wrote:

Freehold DM wrote:

Vidmaster7 wrote:

She could move to TN all things will be open soon. shortly I imagine before they close again because everyone in TN will have the Covid.

I heard you guys had a huge one day jump.

So many people are going to die, between things like this, governors in Iowa and Texas and no doubt elsewhere saying if you DON'T return to work when they reopen that's a "voluntary quit" and you lose all unemployment benefits, and the attorney general threatening to sue states that don't reopen.

Can we just cancel this country and put California in charge?

You know that practically means splintering USA at best (to an accompaniment of booming Russian and Chinese laughter), and an another Civil War at worst?

Quote:

They seem to have their heads on straight for this thing at least

Exactly what would cause the war.

I'm still saying we should launch the USA into space. On general principles.

I mean, I'm all in favor of going to space, but I'm imagining this doesn't include proper safety protocols.

I've had just about enough of all of you. Out! Shoo! Git!

GASP! ANCIENT EGYPT!!

In other news allergies can go to hell. Robot body plz, soon?

It's like driving through southern Missouri. I will never forget the first time I had someone correct me to "El Dor-ay-do."

"locals pronounce it Nev-ADD-ah and get very annoyed at tourists who don't."

"IT'S NEH-VAH-DAH! IT'S SPANISH!"

How many people on that zoom aren’t wearing pants?

Safe estimate: everyone who has their camera turned off and at least half the people with cameras on but positioned so you can't see from the waist down.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a compatible cable.

Me either. What qwerty thing?

quibblemuch wrote:

Fun Fact: The original title was "Tim in a Bottle".

All I can think is that redditor who writes the poems that end with "And Timmy f+%#ing died."

Poem_for_your_Sprog. Their stuff is hilarious.

NobodysHome wrote:

So, it's very interesting to watch how other people are coping with the lockdown (it's Day 14 for us now).

GothBard put it really well: She doesn't mind being at home, because she loves the house and the studio and whatnot, but not being able to actually see and interact with people is driving her crazy. We do online gaming every single night of the week (except family game night on Tuesdays), but for her, online ≠ in person.

And I think Impus Minor and I are just as happy not having to interact with anyone, either, whereas Impus Major is leaning more towards his mother's attitude.

Different people, different psychologies. Who would've guessed?

More or less same here. My one main issue has been finding a way to orient my computer so I don't get restless and twitchy using it for extended periods of time. I ended up putting it on a tray table on top of a remote stand to make a miniature desk which seems to have done the trick, and doing a lot of pacing with the wireless headset.

Granted, I wouldn't have to deal with this if we'd just get around to robot bodies already.

NobodysHome wrote:

One of my strongest reasons for "sub over dub" is exactly this: U.S. directors have an incredibly strong tendency to go for name recognition over voice timbre or just plain talent.

95% of the time, if I see a name I recognize doing the voice on an animated film, I simply boycott the film because I know they're going to do a crap job.

Disney frequently surprises me (I didn't want to see Aladdin because Robin Williams was doing a voice in it, but hoo boy did he prove me wrong), but other than that, if there's a big name American actor doing a voice in an animated film, that actor's very likely going to be crap.

There's actually a whole lot of sketchiness behind that, and Williams would actually have been on your side. He did not want to be used for promotional purposes, and Jeffrey Katzenberg did everything he could to destroy any shred of trust Williams had with the company.

And thus why this exists.

Told you flesh and blood was overrated.

Yep, Elon. You're now firmly on my s*** list.

Damn, that bites. Tesla was always going to be out of my range and thus never a concern, but I've been a SpaceX fanboy for a couple years now.

Can I still be pro-SpaceX while acknowledging their owner is a douchebag? Elon aside, the people working there are still making important strides.

...wait that also means autotune for everyone.

oh no what have we done

I propose "Vagrant Infantite" for the new file.

No. It's all about the Pentiums, baby!

I'm into it.

quibblemuch wrote:

Great. My aliases are coming undone.

Well now I'm gonna have that Duran Duran song stuck in my head for hours.

Here, try this instead.

I on the other hand can't wait. The sooner human stupidity is removed from The driving process, the better.

I am convinced Flo is a harbinger of the singularity.

I'm kinda okay with this.

Orthos wrote:

The Vagrant Erudite wrote:

Time Travel is only done right as a parody, like in Futurama, because it's such bad writing it exists only to be mocked by good writers.

I am required to point out the requisite exception that proves the rule on this, which is of course Chrono Trigger, the best time travel story ever written IMO.

The best take on time travel (which I am not fan of in general) was in Babylon 5 - in big part because it was planned part of the story, thus reflecting the fact that if time travel would happen, the past results of future time travel would be already history and affecting the now from the beginning.

I admittedly haven't seen B5, though it's on the list of "things to get around to watching eventually", so I can't much comment on it.

I'm just hoping in 50 years to be around long enough to either download my consciousness into something or travel to Middle Earth (and I don't mean New Zealand)

I know how you feel.

I don't see what all the fuss is about, really.