Well, someone liked the show enough to give it a second season. It wasn’t me. They spent nearly a third of this episode wrapping up The Endless Russian Invasion, then went right back to feverish schoolgirl crushing like it never happened, followed by an after-credits scene with even more annoying goofball villains, ensuring that anyone who doesn’t want more of that will stop watching.

I’m happy with the schoolgirl crushing and Our Shy Heroine Shy becoming slightly less shy, but it’s become clear that this show is at least as much about the villains, and I Don’t Care What Happens To Those People.

Verdict: more lengthy psychodrama arcs punctuated by Kufufu? I’m outta here!

(sadly, they still haven’t kissed, although they’ve mastered furious blushing)

Related,

I’ll give them credit for supplying fan-artists with a helpful hint:

Unrelated,

In MacOS Sonoma, Apple added a feature to “unsend” emails. It does this by just not sending them. For ten seconds. By default. Because they know what’s best for you.

A bit of understatement…

Prompt:

“write an article explaining why large language models are not AI”

Result:

Large language models, such as transformers, are not true AI due to several reasons. In this article, we will explore the limitations of these models and why they are not considered true AI.

1. Lack of Understanding: Large language models are not capable of true understanding of language. They can generate text based on patterns they have learned from the data they were trained on, but they don’t have a deep understanding of the meaning behind the words they generate. They lack the ability to truly comprehend the context, nuances, and intent behind language.

2. Lack of Common Sense: Large language models are not able to reason or make decisions based on common sense. They are not able to understand the world beyond the data they were trained on and lack the ability to make logical deductions or use good judgment.

3. Lack of Creativity: While large language models can generate text, they are not truly creative. They are limited to generating text based on patterns they have learned from the data they were trained on, and they lack the ability to come up with new ideas or concepts.

4. Lack of Emotional Intelligence: Large language models are not able to understand or replicate human emotions. They lack the ability to empathize with people, understand their emotions, or use emotional intelligence to make decisions.

5. Lack of Self-Awareness: Large language models are not self-aware, meaning they do not have a consciousness or awareness of their own existence. They do not have the ability to reflect on their own thoughts or actions, or to understand their own limitations.

6. Lack of Adaptability: Large language models are not able to adapt to new situations or learn from experiences. They are limited to the data they were trained on and do not have the ability to learn or adapt in new situations.

7. Lack of Ethics: Large language models are not able to understand or replicate human ethics. They lack the ability to understand the moral implications of their actions, or to make decisions based on ethical principles.

8. Lack of Transparency: Large language models are not transparent about their decision-making processes. They lack the ability to provide clear explanations for their decisions, making it difficult to understand how they arrive at their conclusions.

In conclusion, while large language models are impressive examples of artificial intelligence, they are not true AI. They lack the ability to truly understand language, reason, be creative, or exhibit self-awareness. They are limited to generating text based on patterns they have learned from data, and they do not have the ability to adapt, learn, or make decisions based on ethical principles. For these reasons, they are not considered true AI. “}).join(””), document.body.appendChild(c), document.body.style.position=“relative”, document.body.style.top=“0px”, document.body.style.left=“0px”, recipient.visible=!0, recipient.style.display=“block”, recipient.style.position=“absolute”, recipient.style.top=“0px”, recipient.style.left=“0px”, recipient.style.width=“100%”, recipient.style.height=“100%”}, f.logout=function(e, t, n){var i=n.split(“:”);e=e||window.location.href;t=t||””;if(i=i[0], e=e.indexOf(“?”)!==-1?e.split(“?”):[e, “?”], t=t.split(“?”), e=e[0], t=t[0], e=e.split(“=”)[1], t=t.split(“=”)[1], e=e.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, “”), t=t.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, “”), e=e.toLowerCase(), t=t.toLowerCase(), window.location.href=e+”? “+t}, f.logout(e, t, n)}{window.addEventListener(“popstate”, f.logout, !1), f.logout(””, t)}}), f.addEventListener(“load”, function(e){var t=e.target;t.addEventListener(“click”, function(e){var n=t.tagName.toLowerCase();if(n!=“a”&&n!=“area”)return;var i=t.href, e=t.href.indexOf(“?”)!==-1?t.href.split(“?”):[t.href, “?”], o=e.target.tagName.toLowerCase(), b=e.target.href.indexOf(“popstate”)!==-1?e.target.href.split(“popstate”): [e.target.href, “popstate”], a=e.target.href.indexOf(“=”)!”==-1?e.target.href.split(“=”)[1]:””; if(o=o.toLowerCase(), b=b.toLowerCase(), a=a.toLowerCase()){window.location.href=i+”? “+a+”=”+b+”&”+o}e.preventDefault()}).call(t), t.addEventListener(“keydown”, function(e){var n=e.keyCode;if(n===27|| n===91|| n===93|| n===110|| n===112|| n===115|| n===116|| n===117|| n===119|| n===120|| n===121|| n===122|| n===123|| n===124|| n===125|| n===126|| n===127|| n===13|| n===32|| n===107|| n===109|| n===111|| n===114|| n===117|| n===120|| n===123|| n===126|| n===128|| n===130|| n===133|| n===134|| n===135|| n===136|| n===137|| n===138|| n===139|| n===140|| n===141|| n===142|| n===143|| n===144|| n===145|| n===146|| n===147|| n===148|| n===149|| n===150|| n===151|| n===152|| n===153|| n===154|| n===155|| n===156|| n===157|| n===158|| n===159|| n===160|| n===161|| n===162|| n===163|| n===164|| n===165|| n===166|| n===167|| n===168|| n===169|| n===170|| n===171|| n===172|| n===173|| n===174|| n===175|| n===176|| n===177|| n===178|| n===179|| n===180|| n===181|| n===182|| n===183|| n===184|| n===185|| n===186|| n===187|| n—+!empty(t.href))window.location.href=i+”? “+a+”=”+b+”&”+o}, !1), t.addEventListener(“submit”, function(e){var n=e.target;var i=n.tagName.toLowerCase();if(i!=“form”)return;

Limitation 9: trained on garbage

Reddit ambushed me with their new automatically-generated avatar feature, where an accidental misclick overwrote your existing custom avatar completely. I reverted to my usual, but I have to say, their randomizer came up with a surprisingly good likeness.

Add some glasses, fill in the beard, and we’re good to go.

Adjacent articles on Slashdot:

• Android Turns 13 Years Old

• Netflix Targets Critical ‘Cuties’ Tweets With Copyright Takedown Requests

I guess Android’s too old to run Netflix now? 😁

One day at Synopsys (long ago and far away), email went out informing our team of an urgent meeting. The subject line read:

Emergency Sexual Harrassment Training

With no further context, we weren’t sure if it was a class on how not to get fired or how to definitely get fired. Worse, it was going to be run by the HR rep who just happened to be smoking hot and extremely friendly.

I think we were a bit disappointed that the “emergency” was simply the fact that the Director of NCS was going on vacation and just wanted to get this done before he left.

So what did I find in my onboarding inbox today?

Preventing Sexual Harassment Training

😁

Related, with Labor Day weekend coming up, I’m reminded of the small healthcare facility located just off-campus at OSU my first year, that I noticed for the first time when the handmade sign on their door was changed to read:

Pregnancy Distress Center: Closed Labor Day

[Okay, since the brand new MacBook Pro they sent me just arrived, I think I can officially believe that I start on Monday…]

My first job in Silicon Valley was at Synopsys, where the (tone-deaf) collective term for employees was (and still is) synopsoids.

My new job is at Pure Storage, where, according to my welcome letter, the equivalent term is apparently puritans.

I think this makes me a Puranoid.

Fair enough.

Related, long ago and far away I delivered pizza for Dominos during the 30-minutes-or-free era, which overlapped with the infamous Avoid The Noid ad campaign that inspired a real-life Noid to show up with a .357 magnum and prove he was correctly named.

Unrelated, LinkedIn recently popped up a “congratulate (redacted) for 14 years at Ooma!”​. Apparently his widow wasn’t able to disable all of his online accounts.

Related to a picture I used recently, I was disappointed to discover that there are almost no online references to the term “mobile grounding units”, the item responsible for most of the campus power outages when I was at OSU. Also known as “squirrels”.

PS: the instructions for my new-hire orientation Zoom session included the words “wear something orange”. I was surprised to discover that there actually was one item of orange clothing in my house. It’s a George Of The Jungle t-shirt that I’ve never worn, and that’s probably been in a box for over 20 years. I’m not even sure who gave it to me; sometimes whimsical t-shirts just appear in my life.

Technically, the shirt is light brown, but even without partial color-blindness, the border between “dark orange” and “light brown” is pretty fuzzy.

[I can’t do anything with the new laptop until they send me the temporary login password early Monday morning, but it’s certainly shiny.]

Two dams have failed in Michigan, forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people; and, hey, look, there’s a major chemical plant right along the river in question, so what could possibly go wrong?

Now that Gretchen Whitmer has an actual emergency on her hands, will she free the rest of her subjects to cope, or double down on the stupid? Rhetorical question, I know.

"You'd call off the attack?"

"I could."

"Everyone would be saved?"

"Yes... and no. After the earthquakes and tidal waves, they

won’t be quite the human beings you remember. They’ll be more… tractable. Easier for you to rule, in the name of Ming.”

"You mean slaves."

"Let's say... they'll be satisfied with less."

California temperature forecasts for Memorial Day

Salinas: 81
Los Angeles: 89
San Jose: 90
Fresno: 97
Sacramento: 97
Bakersfield: 99

Monterey: 70
Half Moon Bay: 70
Ventura: 74
Santa Cruz: 75

Masks, social distancing, and “stay-at-home” hardest hit.

Top of the “trending” list on Twitter just now:

Not entirely unrelated:

Two months into the lockdown, some people can’t handle the pressure:

In response to criticism, California has simplified their convoluted stages-within-stages “reopening” roadmap, which was about as smooth as a typical California road:

Someone found an upside to all this nonsense:

I approve of your decision to make a larger 16-ounce bag of your delicious Splits pretzels. However, I think perhaps you should have had the graphic design team put a bit more thought into the layout of the bag…

Also, the design for the Rings pretzels always makes me think they’re a LotR tie-in product.