Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. don’t touch it.”

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

No one could have predicted…

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

This blog will pay for itself.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / Saturday Morning Open Thread: Sharing Is Caring…

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Sharing Is Caring…

by | 411 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

… So pass some clips around on social media, whatever your choice of outlet…

Reader Interactions

411Comments

  3. 3.

    M31

    I want the new “Fight for 15” — that is expand the Supreme Court to 15 members.

    would take some more and better Democrats, but hey, let’s do it

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Booked the flights for the upcoming NY trip late next month. Single stopover each way, so four flights for the round trip, three on one airline I’m familiar with, one on a partnered carrier I’ve never flown before.

    As many, many jackals fly much more frequently than I, any thoughts on or caveats about JetBlue, the airline for that single leg of the trip?

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Heh: ‘His skincare regime alone would bankrupt you’: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman bring banter and bromance to London

    Speaking at a press conference, Reynolds and director Shaun Levy said they had been scrambling for ideas to continue the franchise until Jackman agreed to return. Rejected pitches included a film in which it is revealed Deadpool was the hunter who shot Bambi’s mother.

    Marvel boss Kevin Feige swiftly shot down the idea, reported Reynolds. “They were like: we don’t fuck with Bambi.”

  6. 6.

    waspuppet

    “Report on good news? Ew. That’s so uncool. Although if it’s under a Republican administration, it’s kinda edgy.”

  7. 7.

    WereBear

    Hey, open thread and I loathe ChatGPT as much as anyone, but I do like what AI did compositing all my book reviews:

    Customers say

    Customers find the book’s content insightful, and enjoy the stories about the author’s cats. They also say it’s the best book ever, and the writing is fun to read.

    AI-generated from the text of customer reviews for The Way of Cats

    I’m just… thinking back to when I thought I’d adore such a review from the NYT… and this is the one I get from my readers :)

    Also, not worried about how AI books will crowd out good ones, because it can’t. It can’t get any better until we do, so real people have a chance to stay ahead.

    And I’ve read my “competition.” Plus, look at the movies AI writes. Ed Wood did better!

  8. 8.

    kindness

    I think Biden should add remaking the Supreme Court to his wish list.  I feel if he pushed a 13 member Supreme Court, it would be very popular (outside the MAGA types).

  9. 9.

    Another Scott

    I’ve given to RIP Medical Debt (now https://unduemedicaldebt.org) occasionally in the past.  They did (and are doing) the work of buying personal medical debt and canceling it.  Taking that ideal and making it a national policy and program is a great thing.

    Competent leaders are amazing.  We shouldn’t be stampeded into underbusing them.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  10. 10.

    zhena gogolia

    I hardly ever watch political speeches, but I watched that one. So inspiring. The crowd was fantastic.

    Ditched WaPo yesterday and it feels good! Will probably up my monthly donation to Biden-Harris today. I was supposed to do it yesterday, but canceling WaPo took all my energy.

  11. 11.

    WereBear

    I woke up to MOTOWN IS JOETOWN

    and I urge everyone to see the Detroit rally. He jokes about Trump being unable to watch television because it’s Shark Week.

    It will do your hearts good. I’m ridin’ with Biden. Seriously, why would you fire ANYONE on such a roll?

     I’m not so sure I agree 100% with your policework there, Lou…

  12. 12.

    Ken

    @WereBear: The disconnect between the majority of tech companies with their “AI is great and we must put it into everything”, and the vast majority of consumers with their “this is utter garbage and you’ve ruined your service”, is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. Except maybe the press and Democratic voters on the Biden campaign.

  13. 13.

    Central Planning

    @NotMax: JetBlue is fine. You shouldn’t have any issues. JFK is a major hub for them so there will be lots of options if there are delays.

    Once when flying home (ROC) via JFK, we started circling around Binghamton. Due to weather not clearing at JFK we were diverted to Buffalo. We land and the exchange goes like this:

    Flight Attendant: Those of you going to Buffalo or Syracuse are welcome to get off the plane. You will have to find your own way to your destination.

    Me (from the back of the plane): What about Rochester?

    FA (Looks at me, pauses): Sorry

    Me: (perplexed face since Rochester is between Buffalo and Syracuse)

    FA: Just kidding. You can get off too

    After I got off the plane, I went to the two  rental places corporate uses to get a one-way rental to Rochester. Both said they had no cars. I called corporate travel, they booked a one-way rental for me and I went back to the same agent less than 10 minutes later to get my car.

  14. 14.

    guachi

    Stage 7 of the women’s Giro d’Italia bike race was amazing and you can watch it on Max. Want to support women’s sports? Watch it.

    A brutal day of climbing in the heat. You will watch women ascend a mountain and be amazed at what they can do.

  15. 15.

    Wvng

    A couple of months ago a NYTimes economics reporter tweeted out how funny it was that his elite friends at a NY party had no idea about Biden’s legislative accomplishments that are transforming our country. When challenged that “you’re a reporter, why aren’t you reporting on it?” he responded that it’s not his job to do PR for Biden, and remained steadfast in that position throughout the long thread. So, an economics reporter at the Times saying not my job to report on the economic impacts was quite amazing.

  19. 19.

    Central Planning

    @Central Planning: Got cutoff editing my comment.

    Also, I offered to those of us that got off the plane a ride to Rochester. One woman took me up on the offer. As we got in the car she said “I hope you’re not an axe murderer.”

    I turned to her and said “I hope YOU’RE not an axe murderer.”  We had a nice ride back.

  20. 20.

    BR

    I’m calling my elected officials again today to shout at them to rally around Biden and I hope you all do too.

  21. 21.

    Central Planning

    @zhena gogolia: Did you see that recently Delta served spoiled food to 24 travelers and they had to divert the plane to get medical attention for those passengers? 🤢🤢🤢

  22. 22.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @NotMax:

    I’ve flown JetBlue a couple of times via their redeye from Albuquerque to NYC. They’re fine. No frills. Just be careful about the “class” you select, since the cheapest doesn’t even allow for carry-ons.

  24. 24.

    matt

    @Wvng: My mother is a somewhat nice old lady, but she’s a complete media-puppeted sap when it comes to her political positions. When I recently mentioned that Biden had a lot of accomplishments she laughed at me.

  25. 25.

    CaseyL

    It’s very hard to determine how things are right now.

    You can find polls that say Biden/Harris is fading. You can find polls saying there’s been little change.

    You can find reports – mostly on social media – that support for Biden/Harris among Democrats is more passionate than ever. And you can find reports everywhere that Democrats are looking for an exit.

    I’m Ridin’ with Biden all the way. My rage at the assholes trying to push him out is incandescent. My rage at the MSM is such that if the NYT and/or CNN were firebombed, I’d do a little dance.

    But I do wish I knew what the status quo actually was.

  28. 28.

    Another Scott

    @Ken:

    A few contrarians remember what a bubble looks like. Finance.yahoo.com:

    Not everyone has been blown away by the AI fanfare, however. James Ferguson, founding partner of the UK-based macroeconomic research firm MacroStrategy Partnership, fears investors’ AI exuberance has created a concentrated market bubble that’s reminiscent of the dot-com era.

    “These historically end badly,” Ferguson told Bloomberg’s Merryn Somerset Webb in the latest episode of the Merryn Talks Money podcast. “So anyone who’s sort of a bit long in the tooth and has seen this sort of thing before is tempted to believe it’ll end badly.”

    The veteran analyst argued that hallucinations—large language models’ (LLMs) tendency to invent facts, sources, and more—may prove a more intractable problem than initially anticipated, leading AI to have far fewer viable applications.

    “AI still remains, I would argue, completely unproven. And fake it till you make it may work in Silicon Valley, but for the rest of us, I think once bitten twice shy may be more appropriate for AI,” he said. “If AI cannot be trusted…then AI is effectively, in my mind, useless.”

    Ferguson also noted AI may end up being too “energy hungry” to be a cost effective tool for many businesses. To his point, a recent study from the Amsterdam School of Business and Economics found that AI applications alone could use as much power as the Netherlands by 2027.

    “Forget Nvidia charging more and more and more for its chips, you also have to pay more and more and more to run those chips on your servers. And therefore you end up with something that is very expensive and has yet to prove anywhere really, outside of some narrow applications, that it’s paying for this,” he said.

    For investors, particularly those leaning into the AI enthusiasm, Ferguson warned that the excessive tech hype based on questionable promises is very similar to the period before the dot-com crash. He noted that during both of these periods, market returns were concentrated in tech stocks that traded based on Wall Street’s sky-high earnings growth estimates.

    Of course, being ultimately right about these things isn’t enough. One also has to get the timing right.

    Something something longer than you can remain solvent.

    Caveat emptor!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  29. 29.

    chemiclord

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: The fundamental problem is that the Supreme Court doesn’t care.  They’ll pick the cases they want, reject any that don’t, ignoring precedent or standing, with a middle finger and a “Fuck you, libtard.”

    We aren’t going to beat them at their own game.

  30. 30.

    WereBear

    @Ken: I suspected it was behind the spectacular rise in using ChatBots in the customer service. Instead of actual people who can DO something.

    Which is like playing Elza, unknowingly. If it’s simple, I’ll find it. If ya’ll screwed it up, I’ll never get it unscrewed.

    You won’t let me.

  31. 31.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @CaseyL:

    In my “expert” opinion–expertise gained from reading this blog and a few other select sources, so apply salt to taste–there’s a fairly even partisan divide in this country. Victory will go to the ticket that can win over the “mushy middle” and get them to the polls.

    How people can still be undecided is beyond me, but as the election draws closer, the stark binary choice will become clearer to them. I believe that more of them will break for the decent guy than for the lunatic, especially if we do all in our power to assist the campaign.

    ETA: The Biden-Harris campaign already has hefty GOTV infrastructure with boots on the ground in all the swing states, plus in a few higher-level potentials like North Carolina. It’s my understanding that the Felon campaign has low infrastructure investment so far, since most of the money is going to lawyers. Would value confirmation or correction on that point.

  34. 34.

    guachi

    @CaseyL:

    My rage at the assholes trying to push him out is incandescent.

    85% of Americans think Biden is too old. 70% of Democratic voters want Biden to withdraw. Calls to Congress are 10:1, 30:1, 100% (depending on the Rep)  that Biden should drop out.

    Your incandescent rage is against America.

    If Biden loses it will be because he is too old and because even the dumbest MAGA understands how time works and that Biden isn’t getting younger.

  36. 36.

    Ken

    @WereBear: Unfortunately there’s not really a secret password to get through to tech support or customer service more generally. I have sometimes gotten to a human more quickly by saying things like “baritone hyperbolic neufchatel tungsten” to the prompts, which seems to confuse the voice-recognition system — but perhaps simply saying “support” repeatedly would do the same.

  39. 39.

    matt

    @guachi: Great – lay out your plan for switching Biden out at this point in time. If you don’t have that, you’re just backstabbing.

  40. 40.

    Nukular Biskits

    @guachi:

    If Biden loses it will be because he is too old and because even the dumbest MAGA understands how time works and that Biden isn’t getting younger.

    Ok, help me out here.

    81 is “too old” but 77 is not?

  41. 41.

    WereBear

    @O. Felix Culpa: How people can still be undecided is beyond me.

    They aren’t paying attention. They rarely do.

    Which is why I think some of them have trouble processing when something big does break through. SInce they haven’t been educated or up to date, and have no context.

    And these are trying times when we are struggling to keep it together.

    Ignorance is never bliss. It’s confusion.

  42. 42.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Central Planning:

    After I got off the plane, I went to the two rental places corporate uses to get a one-way rental to Rochester. Both said they had no cars. I called corporate travel, they booked a one-way rental for me and I went back to the same agent less than 10 minutes later to get my car.

    I’ve run into this countless times during my business travel with both rental car agencies and hotels.

    Rental car agencies will set aside only a set number of vehicles for one-way travel, similar to how hotels will reserve only a set number of rooms for gov’t rate.  The other thing about rental car agencies is a lot of locations are not corp owned/ran but franchises.  Franchise locations, in my experience, almost never have any vehicles available for one way.

  43. 43.

    WereBear

    @Ken: Isn’t that funny? I do the same thing. Only by that time I threaten with Cthulu jokes like “You will be eaten first by the Old Ones” and that sometimes works.

    Confusing the computer. Just like on Star Trek.

  46. 46.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Ken: The disconnect between the majority of tech companies with their “AI is great and we must put it into everything”, and the vast majority of consumers with their “this is utter garbage and you’ve ruined your service”,

    CEOs are not men of iron like they pretend to be but just as manipulable as everyone else. Take Emmo Musk for example. Musk cosplays as an engineer, when he is really a just a salesman and it’s been noted that sales people are really vulnerable to sale techniques.

  47. 47.

    Another Scott

    @CaseyL: +1

    It’s interesting to hear the BBC reporting on American politics.  Katty Kay was a huge McCain fangirl and it always came out in her reporting.  It taught me that their reporters were willing victims of the “conventional wisdom” narratives of their famous American reporter peers.  They thought it made them savvy, but instead it made them dupes to mis- and disinformation too often.

    And it’s over the top now.  The BBC reporters are convinced that Biden’s brain is tapioca and it’s obvious that he’s going to keel over and they just . will . not . let . anything . change . that . narrative.  It’s insane.  Everything he does is “trying” to overcome his “disastrous debate performance”.

    The NPR political reporters are almost as bad, but they seem to be learning.  A story on one of the top of the hour reports yesterday talked about him “trying” to put up a brave face at the Detroit rally after the debate “two weeks ago”, but had no sound clip of Biden, just some other guy giving a few words about his interpretation of what Biden said.  It’s malpractice, but they’re starting to hedge their bets since Biden is still there, he hasn’t actually imploded, and maybe – just maybe – they’re having second thoughts about this herding and stampeding that they think they have to participate in.

    One of my mantras is – where you stand depends on where you sit.  If you only hang out with and talk with some narrow slice of humanity, you will be influenced to behave and think like them.  It’s essential to get out and about and interact with (non-insane!!) others.  Too many reporters and pundits don’t do that, and it hurts their work product.  Maybe, maybe American reporters are starting to learn.

    [/soapbox]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  48. 48.

    guachi

    @matt:

    I’m pointing out facts. That is not backstabbing. Get a grip. I just read a news article that said when Fetterman asked how many D Senators wanted Biden to stay in the race only 3-4 raised their hand.

    Biden cannot win with the enthusiastic support of 10% of Democrats.

    The calls for Biden to withdraw will likely stop. That is a terrible sign. It doesn’t mean they support Biden. It means they’ve given up.

  49. 49.

    EireIAm

    Not that the majority of folks here need to hear this but replacing Biden on the ticket disenfranchises millions of voters. Millions.

    The people jumping in the replace him bandwagon never address that. Until and unless they do, they need to STFU.

  52. 52.

    ewrunning

    While NYT, WAPO and NPR do their eleventy millionth Joe Biden is really old story, ProPublica does it again.

  55. 55.

    3Sice

    @CaseyL:

    We are in the decision tree between:

    minimum six month wait for the top of the line trim package…

    and

    you can drive this lower tier model off the lot today….

  57. 57.

    matt

    @guachi: Well, you don’t change candidates in the media. I wonder if all these elites are going to reinstate superdelegates and such in order to have a veto over the primary going forward

  59. 59.

    lowtechcyclist

    @guachi:

    If Biden loses it will be because he is too old and because even the dumbest MAGA understands how time works and that Biden isn’t getting younger.

    One thing this Dem understands is that if Biden stepped down tomorrow in favor of Harris, the media would just turn her into their new chew toy, with a whole bunch of new lines of attack handed to them by the Rethugs.  Having killed off the Biden candidacy, they’d love to see if they can kill hers as well, and they’d be on her the way they were all over Hillary in 2016.

    You can argue that Biden should have decided in early 2023 that he wouldn’t run for re-election.  I disagree, but it doesn’t matter; my TARDIS is busted.  It’s July 13, 2024, and there’s absolutely zero chance that Biden stepping aside for anyone at this point will increase the chances of Dem victory in November.

    If we want to win, we’re ridin’ with Biden. It’s that simple.

  60. 60.

    TBone

    Favorite political signage on the Isle of Que today: vintage housewife with broad smile.  All done up in hot pink and turquoise:

    “No, we will NOT go quietly back to the 1950s!”

    Nary a single rethug campaign sign – all other signs here are for Dems!

  61. 61.

    Dagaetch

    @guachi: If Biden loses it will be because he is too old and because even the dumbest MAGA understands how time works and that Biden isn’t getting younger.

    If Biden loses it will be because 47% of Americans chose to vote for the convicted criminal who wants to end democracy, and enough other Americans listened to people like you and stayed home on election day. You aren’t just voting for a person, you are voting for a set of ideas and a belief about the path forward for this nation.

  66. 66.

    Scout211

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: It’s there at the top of the reviews in one of your books. The Wind Reader

    Customers say

    Readers find the story engaging and suspenseful. They appreciate the well-written prose and evocative descriptions. The book is described as an enjoyable read for both young and older readers.
    AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

    Select to learn more
    Good storyRich charactersWell writtenFun read

  67. 67.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @CaseyL:You can find polls that say Biden/Harris is fading. You can find polls saying there’s been little change.

    You can find reports – mostly on social media – that support for Biden/Harris among Democrats is more passionate than ever. And you can find reports everywhere that Democrats are looking for an exit.

    Last year there was a month at work were we had nothing to do because of a customer screw up. So the only thing I had to do was read the news all day at work. And the phenomena CaseL is describing was going on about the housing market and work from home, story after story and poll after poll each one contradicting each other.

  68. 68.

    Dagaetch

    @NotMax:

    JetBlue is actually my favorite domestic airline to fly, I think the seats are very comfortable and the experience is pleasant. But don’t buy the “basic” fare, it’s worth the slight additional cost to choose your seat in advance and have a little peace of mind re changes or cancellations.

  73. 73.

    guachi

    @Layer8Problem:

    Part one is to convince Biden to withdraw. Being scared whoever replaces him will be attacked is loser talk. The American people want Biden to withdraw. Biden should listen to America. He likes to think he’s empathetic and listens, right? He’s not acting like it.

    Biden withdraws. He gets Congressional Ds together and says “do X” and they probably will since they’ll be happy he’s finally gone. If he says “support Harris” that will be good though.

    If Biden ends up winning then anyone who replaced him would win. But Biden is so damaged he has almost no positive case he can make.

  74. 74.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Another Scott: Yes, there are things AI is very good at, like writing endless Democrats in Disarray stories and Joe Rogen impersonations, and other things it’s not, like serious in-depth analysis of some subject.

  75. 75.

    CaseyL

    I went onto Senator Maria Cantwell’s contact page and wrote an impassioned but coherent letter about why she needs to stop being non-committal and give Biden/Harris full-hearted and full-throated support.

    This is what I told her: my own conclusions about what the stakes are.  It’s more than just Biden/Harris v. Trump.  It’s about the pseudo-aristocracy that Supply Side economics has created, and the Frankenstein monster that are the “major donors” now withholding $90 million in donations unless Biden is tossed off the ticket.

    As I said to Senator Cantwell, the fault lines are revealing what the true issue is, and that is:  The Major Donor Class has preferences and it has priorities, and the priorities always win.

    While the Democratic Donor Class might “like” and “prefer” socially liberal policies, what it insists on are policies that serve its financial priorities.  And its financial priorities are threatened by the very success of Biden/Harris economic policies, because those really are building the economic “from the bottom up and the middle out.”

    IOW, as I see it, the current battle over who gets to be the Democratic standard bearer is between the Democrats’ actual constituencies and its Major Donor Class, who are ready and willing to throw the actual constituencies over the side to protect their wealth and status.

  76. 76.

    ewrunning

    Tried and failed to include a link on my previous. Look up the story ProPublica just dropped on Ziklag. These rich creeps have to be exposed for what they are trying to do to us

  77. 77.

    gwangung

    @guachi: No, you’re not. You cherry pick them.

    It’s not systematic, it’s not comprehensive. It’s all done to support a pre-held POV.

    You can do better.

    And where’s the logistical plan for replacement? Fantasy is counterproductive.

  78. 78.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Another Scott:

    I’m going to do an “I’m not a conspiracy thinker, but….”

    I honestly think it’s enemy action. I’ve seen press feeding frenzies before, dating back to my dewy-eyed youth and their attacks on Edmund Muskie after he allegedly cried in New Hampshire over The Manchester Guardian’s smears of his wife.

    We all know the litany: Carter (sweaters, malaise, killer rabbit), Clinton, Bill (not one of us, Whitewater, and, alas, Monica), Dukakis (tank!), Kerry (effete, swiftboat), Obama (tan suit, arugula, long form birth certificate) Clinton, Hillary (too prepared, dying, emailz).

    We also know that the press have tried various attacks on Biden, but weren’t able to make fetch happen: Afghanistan, recession, etc. The only thing they had left was Biden So Old. Which, despite it not being news according to their definition that news is something new, data shows they’ve been pounding for a long time prior to the debate.

    Then the not-good debate happened. It was not good for both guys, but curiously the shrieking was only about one of them. Overnight, the NYT runs a chain of editorials and op eds on how Biden Must Go, followed by 192 articles in one week on the same topic. As do most of the MSM outlets. And they’re still trying.

    This is multiple magnitudes more than previous press feeding frenzies. Biden has done what they asked, post-debate: public appearances, rallies, press conference, etc. and he was fine to really good. Nevertheless, as he said at the press conference, they. will. not. be. satisfied. no matter what he does.

    The evidence leads me to believe that they want to take him down. There are other juicy news items like the Supreme Court decisions, the Epstein revelations, etc. that they could be banging away at, but aren’t. There’s one singular focus in one direction. It’s not accidental, IMO.

  79. 79.

    BR

    @CaseyL: ​
    Excellent.

    I have been calling over and over to my electeds’ offices. They may be getting pressure from Republicans who want chaos so we need to double balance them out.

  80. 80.

    Josie

    A kind of funny/not funny item in the ongoing mess that Centerpoint Energy has made of its response to Beryl in Houston. The CEO was filmed asking people to keep their AC’s set on 76 degrees to help with energy use. Unfortunately for him, when the picture is enlarged, the temperature setting on the wall behind him shows a setting of 70 degrees. Energy savings for thee, but not for me.

  82. 82.

    guachi

    @Mike E: I’m with the 70% of Biden voters who want him to withdraw. I’m with the overwhelming number of people who have called their Congressman and asked Biden to withdraw. If siding with Democratic voters is “trolling” then, okay, I’m a troll. If siding with the majority of Ds in Congress is trolling then, okay, I’m a troll.

  84. 84.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @rikyrah: It there a link to the list? I see it in the tweet, but I’d like verification that it was indeed published as stated.

  85. 85.

    lowtechcyclist

    @guachi:

    I don’t care about the feelings of primary voters. I really, really don’t.

    I don’t care about the feelings of the people who are calling in to Congressional offices.  I really, really don’t.  They knew Biden was old six months ago, and had their chance to do something about it by their votes in the primaries. But Biden kept getting >98% of the vote.  Those callers don’t get to overrule the 98%. Fuck that shit.

  87. 87.

    Tony Jay

    “Restore Roe v. Wade. Pass the John Lewis voting rights bill and Freedom To Vote Act. Introduce the Liberate Essential Media from Oligarchic Nazis Act. Eliminate medical debt. Execute the traitors to our Constitution. Raise minimum wage. Pass the PRO Act. Bring the size of our courts and legislature into the 21st century. Ban assault weapons. Expropriate the wealth of the top 1% of US based oligarchs. “Keep leading the world” on climate change & clean energy!”

    “I call it Project Fuckem 25 Ways. You with me?”

      The Biden/Harris ticket’s massive landslide victory in the 2024 Election caught many of that era’s heritage media outlets by surprise, but in retrospect the electorate’s hunger for radical change had been obvious for some time.

  88. 88.

    Layer8Problem

    @Mike E:
    I personally tend toward not pieing recognized long-term BJ commenting nyms, because I like to think it possible I might be wrong, let a thousand flowers bloom, that sort of thing. But relentless “you’re all doing it wrong,” “many polls are saying”, and “you’re not panicking yet, start panicking!”-level comments are less helpful reality correctives and more obsessive doomer stuff.

    Also, guachi has a history of this kind of thing. I’m at about my limit.

  89. 89.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @CaseyL: There’s a scene from The Empire Strikes Back where Hans Solo are fleeing from the stormtroopers and CP30 is telling Solo the statistical improbability of trying to escape, and Solo barks, “Never tell me the odds!” That’s good advice right now, I think.

  90. 90.

    Emily B.

    I posted yesterday about the Clooney op-ed…but as I think about it more, I’m even more disturbed.

    His plan—some kind of debate among “several strong Democrats,” and then off to the convention to “figure it out”—would give an enormous amount of influence to the big donors, even more than they already have. It’s repulsive.

    This election is about preserving democracy. It’s going to be a lot harder to make that argument if our candidate was not chosen democratically.

  91. 91.

    wjca

    @zhena gogolia: @guachi: Please go to hell. 

    He’s already there.  Hell, for him, is the reality that Biden is doing great.  And nobody here is buying his nonsense.

  94. 94.

    Leto

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hugh essentially single-handedly saved Deadpool 3. Ryan, and the director, had pitched a number of scripts but weren’t getting anywhere, when Hugh called Ryan and asked to be a part of the project. Ryan said at that point he knew their bacon was out of the fire. Hugh wanted to do a little bit more with the character after the Old Man Logan movie, which was excellent.

    The reporting I’ve read about some of the early viewing reviews (first 35 mins) has been very positive. I’m excited because it does look like a lot of fun.

  96. 96.

    WereBear

    @rikyrah: I keep saying Nixon is the king vampire and we should just stake him up and see what happens.

    Be worth it just to see Roger Stone blow away in the breeze…

  98. 98.

    Layer8Problem

    @guachi:

    Biden withdraws. He gets Congressional Ds together and says “do X” and they probably will since they’ll be happy he’s finally gone. If he says “support Harris” that will be good though.

    If Biden ends up winning then anyone who replaced him would win.

    Some quality hypotheticaling and Green Lanterning there. Roughly similar to the clever Self-Inflicted Gunshot to the Head Gambit the Republicans will never see coming. I think I’m done.

  99. 99.

    zhena gogolia

    @Leto: Since we’re all pushing People, there’s a really nice piece there where they interview each other. Charming. (I never watch these movies, but I like them both.)

  100. 100.

    wjca

    @Tony Jay:

    The Biden/Harris ticket’s massive landslide victory in the 2024 Election caught many of that era’s heritage media outlets by surprise, but in retrospect the electorate’s hunger distaste for radical change had been obvious for some time.

    Fixed that for you.  Because the radical change on offer is Project 2025, not the Biden-Harris platform.

  105. 105.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @O. Felix Culpa: Well, they have been telling us for years they were going to do this with the first debate.

    Much like with Hitler, a lot of moderate liberals didn’t take them seriously.  And the reason why did they that, going by Kotkin’s “Stalin: Waiting for Hitler“, was that Hitler was a face eating leopard who hungered for Communist faces, they never imagined the leopard would eat their faces first, even though Hitler said their faces were the reason why there are Communist faces.

    So, going by that analogy, no one on the left wanted to believe MSM outlets like the NYT are a pack of lying hacks just spewing out political fan fiction that is indistinguishable from Russian propaganda because it makes them feel all intellectual and better than their Fox-Head idiot relatives by reading it.

  107. 107.

    Layer8Problem

    @O. Felix Culpa:  To paraphrase Teresa Nielsen Hayden, I deeply resent the way simple observations of the current media and political environment make me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist.  But it is what it is, huh?  We’re having our pants legs collectively pissed on and are being assured by our media and Republican betters it’s just rain.

  108. 108.

    Salty Sam

    @O. Felix Culpa: The Biden-Harris campaign already has hefty GOTV infrastructure with boots on the ground in all the swing states, plus in a few higher-level potentials like North Carolina. It’s my understanding that the Felon campaign has low infrastructure investment so far, since most of the money is going to lawyers. Would value confirmation or correction on that point.

    My own theory, which is mine, is that because the Felon is not investing in infrastructure or GOTV, he is landing to “win” the election by his usual methods- screaming (lying) about voter fraud/“rigged election”, flooding the courts with lawsuits and appealing them up to the USSC.

    Recent SC decisions do not give me a happy feeling about this.  IANAL, so I would welcome any BJ legal-beagle to shoot holes in this theory.

  109. 109.

    BR

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I agree. Though I think even before the volunteering efforts we need to get Dem elected officials to stop the doom spiral. They are the reason this mess is continuing. If we get them to start coming out with strong statements of support for Biden, we’d see something very different.

  110. 110.

    Josie

    @Ksmiami: ​
     It didn’t used to be. I hardly recognize what Texas has become. I am strongly supporting Colin Allred in the hopes of heading us back to sanity.

  111. 111.

    guachi

    @lowtechcyclist:

    They knew Biden was old six months ago, and had their chance to do something about it by their votes in the primaries.

    This is terrible reasoning. Can’t change a bad course because it’s too late. Oh well.

  112. 112.

    Mike E

    @Layer8Problem: I’m glad your “filter” is evolving, keep up the good work. I can read shorthand trollery pretty easily these days since it’s so obviously cut and paste… the tricky part is figuring which of our excessively verbal commenters might be playing with us. I’ve taken a few out of the pie pantry for coming around but they can easily go back!

    The other really bad tendency with a bunch of people here is their seeming enjoyment in engaging and/or taunting these trolls. Again, the pie filter works well in this regard but the malefactors go away when starved of oxygen. Save your energy for all the creative, witty and kind folks who make this site a welcome sanctuary.

  113. 113.

    Harrison Wesley

    If President Biden actually did step aside, how long would it take for Our Liberal Media to switch from “Biden should drop out because he’s too old” to “Biden exit is an admission of the failure of his presidency?”  I’m guessing maybe half an hour at most.

  114. 114.

    BR

    @Layer8Problem: ​
    I don’t think it’s a conspiracy to admit that the nepo baby in charge of the NYT wants more conservative readers. He said so — he doesn’t want the paper to be a “liberal rag” anymore (his words). And he is pissed that Biden hasn’t sat down with them for an interview, because of how important his family’s estate, I mean newspaper, is.

    The journalists are following his cues within the limits of journalistic practice. Political reporting was always a vibes zone anyway because it’s not like the science reporting or business news where there’s some data that backs up what the reporter is writing. So the vibes can be skewed to what the head of the paper wants. Other outlets follow the NYT.

    DougJ has been onto them for so long and so right.

  115. 115.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @schrodingers_cat: @schrodingers_cat:

    Agreed and agreed. I’ve got 200 postcards to North Carolina to address. Will also GOTV closer to the date to reelect the Dem in my neighboring congressional district, which is reddish-purple. The second Biden-Harris administration will benefit from a majority to get things done.

  116. 116.

    Eyeroller

    @schrodingers_cat: The commenter in question has been around a long time, as far as I remember, and I was trying to keep giving them the benefit of the doubt and just scrolling, but it has gotten so tiresome that it’s time for pie.  Just repeating the same push-polled crap over and over. Fantasizing about how politics should work when it plainly does not and cannot work that way. “My poor mom” hand-wringing.  Dissing the base (a lot of whom are people of color).

    I’m not sure whether I’ll write any postcards but I made a pretty substantial donation to the Biden/Harris campaign and I ordered a lot of stamps yesterday, before the rate increase.  I bought rolls, not sheets, but was thinking I could tear off parts of the rolls since those would be flat, to send to better postcarders than I might be.

  118. 118.

    Eolirin

    @WereBear: AI can’t currently make decisions without human direction. At worst you get authors coming up with really good stories but not having to come up with all the words.

    But it’s entirely possible that at some indeterminate point in the future, AI will be able to create works out of whole cloth beginning to end, and in that situation… Well, they could get better faster than humans. AI can process it’s own output as an input. It doesn’t technically need humans past a certain point. It could be set up to self publish on Amazon and learn from what people are responding to just like human authors do, and to refine it’s output based on that.

    There’s nothing special about what our brains do, other than that it’s computationally expensive for our current hardware to duplicate.

  120. 120.

    Eyeroller

    @BR: ​CNN actually lit the fire the night of the debate, according to witnesses. Then a bunch of Dem arsonists started pouring fuel on it, led by former employees of Clinton and Obama. The FTFNYT went all-in and WaPo tagged along. That stampeded the herd of electeds toward the cliff.

  121. 121.

    wjca

    @Harrison Wesley: how long would it take for Our Liberal Media to switch from “Biden should drop out because he’s too old” to “Biden exit is an admission of the failure of his presidency?”  I’m guessing maybe half an hour at most.

    Nonsense.  The articles were doubtless pre-written long since.

  122. 122.

    guachi

    @Layer8Problem:

    Some quality hypotheticaling and Green Lanterning there.

    It’s more realistic than what I’m hearing from your side. “The polls are wrong. Shut up, shut up, shut up and clap louder. Biden can go 4 months without screwing up again. People will ignore Biden is old.”

    Biden campaign staff met with Congressional Ds a few days ago and reports are that none of them were convinced Biden had a winning strategy.

    “Trump is awful” isn’t a winning strategy. And if it is you don’t need Biden.

  124. 124.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    MSM outlets like the NYT are a pack of lying hacks just spewing out political fan fiction

    I started reading the NYT cover to cover when I was twelve, back when the world was young. They and the WaPo were my journalistic heroes because of Watergate and the Pentagon Papers. I believed in their journalism cred for years. Not any more. It’s taken a long time to change my mind. The evidence, in my view, is overwhelming.

  125. 125.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Victory will go to the ticket that can win over the “mushy middle” and get them to the polls.

    GOTV.  It’s always about GOTV (however broadly that’s defined).

  126. 126.

    Eunicecycle

    @Emily B.: He apparently wants to go back to the days of smoke-filled back rooms where the candidate was picked by the big (always old white men) donors. Because he would be one of them.

  127. 127.

    delphinium

    @guachi: Seriously, go clutch a different pearl.

    The continued histrionics about a 2-week old debate is really boring and doesn’t do anyone any good.

    Edited

  129. 129.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Jasmine Crockett is the truth!

    For some this still won’t be enough because there’s nothing he can do to turn back the hands of time, but one day I’ll have to tell y’all about all the people that told me I couldn’t win my state house race… not only did I win it, outspent, and underestimated in the middle of a pandemic… I went on to then become the 4th black woman elected to Congress from Texas, two years later. My President just knocked it out the MF park! Don’t tell me what can’t be done, tell me HOW to get it done! #LetsGoJoe

  130. 130.

    Jackie

    Why do Never Trumpers understand the dangers of a second TCFG term better than so many democratic bedwetters?

    A Republican strategist said his group will “hold the line” to ensure former President Donald Trump doesn’t win a second term and slammed the media and Democratic Biden defectors.

    Rick Wilson, co-founder of the anti-MAGA group the Lincoln Project, shared on the group’s podcast Friday that Biden knows “more about foreign policy, more about domestic policy, more about how to be president than Donald Trump has ever exhibited in a single moment of the four crapuluous years in which he held the Oval Office.”

    “And certainly,” Wilson added, “more than the shark batteries and Hannibal Lector discussions, and all the other crazy bulls— that is Donald Trump has expressed at any point since he lost the presidency in 2020.”

    Wilson said that even as Democrats openly question who ought to be at the top of the ticket, his group will unleash “hell” on Trump in the coming months to ensure he loses Nov. 5.

    “We will attack him. We will diminish him. We will demean him. We will get inside his head. We will steal voters from him. We will make Donald Trump’s life a living, constant hell. That is what we do. That is what we specialize in,” said Wilson.

    No group, he boasted, has “held the line” like the Lincoln Project has against Trump, who he characterized as having a “feral sense of animal cunning.”

    Wilson slammed the media and argued they’re more focused on being “right” about Joe Biden being old. Wilson defended Biden and said he made reporters “sad” by putting on a solid performance at the NATO news conference, in which he didn’t use a teleprompter, took questions and didn’t rely on backup notes.

    He gave his Democratic friends a bit of free advice: “If you are not waking up every minute of your day, if you don’t spring out of bed and go how is it I can best kick the s— out of Donald Trump, you’re not doing politics right.

    “If you wake up every day and don’t say to yourself how is it I can make the case that Donald Trump spells the end of the American experiment, the end of democracy we love, the end of the country that has made every freedom you enjoy possible, you are not getting it.”

    Wilson slammed major media outlets and reporters for creating a “frenzy” and “trying to make their bones right now” with anti-Biden reporting. He even asserted the New York Times has a vendetta against the president for refusing to do a sit-down interview.

    “Look, I get it. If you’re young and ambitious in DC and you want a connection suddenly to Peter Baker or Maggie Haberman or Jonathan Martin or whomever … by God you’re going to try to be valuable, you’re going to try to be useful, you’re going to try to produce a story that’s sexy and big and clicky.

    https://www.rawstory.com/rick-wilson-2668737753/

  131. 131.

    3Sice

    @BR:

    The same reason that Bezos has gone to chasing dead Republicans with WaPo. Desperation throws. Their business model is dead.

    None of the rank and file want to get dropped off of the back of the wagon, so they regurgitate the bull, while the cubes steadily empty.

  132. 132.

    schrodingers_cat

    @BR: The ones coming out with strong statements in support of Biden are not being given much oxygen in the media.  I have been seeing many on my Twitter timeline.

    An example:

    Debbie Wasserman Schultz

    @DWStweets

    That was our President,
    @JoeBiden
    , demonstrating how a world leader with his hand firmly on the tiller of our ship of state, manages the country, U.S. national security interests and the naysayers. #RidinwithBiden

  135. 135.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @O. Felix Culpa: I believed in their journalism cred for years. Not any more. It’s taken a long time to change my mind. The evidence, in my view, is overwhelming.

    You speak for me.

  137. 137.

    Layer8Problem

    @Eyeroller:  I gave up on the local post office yesterday, who was all out of postcard stamps for days and days now, and ate the handling fee for a roll of a hundred online.  Yes, I’m oiling up my postcard-writing hand.

    Maybe it would be useful for a front-pager to get commenter H.E.Wolf to do a quick discussion of how to get into back office data entry work for those of us who find canvassing too painful.  They also serve who only sit and type.

  139. 139.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @WereBear: Good points. Joe’s no dummy. He sees what’s going on, and so do many of us.

    P.S. Even my normie loyal Dem sister has noticed it. So I wonder if the media have overplayed their hand.

  140. 140.

    West of the Rockies

    @Eolirin:

    Hard disagree.  Our brains can be extraordinarily special, as can our bodies.

    Otherwise, eventually we’ll say, “Simone Biles isn’t special; a robot can do the same thing for hours and won’t even get tired.”

  142. 142.

    FDRLincoln

    I note that the calls for Biden to drop out are coming mainly from white moderates and liberals. Biden is holding the African American community, other ethnic groups, LGBTQ+,, and interestingly enough the left wing of the party.

    I have a theory about this. Black Americans and LGBTQ folks have never felt safe in this country. But your moderate-liberal straight white person has usually had a presumption of safety. They aren’t used to getting death threats or having their very existence challenged.

    I think a lot of the pile on against Joe is coming from people who have always felt safe but now see the death threats from the GOP, Project 2025, and the blank check that Trump now has from the Court.

    They feel deeply unsafe politically for the first time in their lives. And even though Joe has shown he can govern well and has been campaigning effectively since the debate, people are taking this inner fear and projecting it into looking for a savior. This is especially true for those who aren’t supporting Kamala, who is the only realistic alternative to Joe.

    The pile on is because a lot of comfortable white people understand in their bones for the first time that their lives are at stake this election.

    And they are correct. We are all under a real threat. The right wants to kill us. But we need to take that fear and channel it into ATTACKING TRUMP rather than the circular firing squad.

    Keep the focus on the deranged rapist felon.

  144. 144.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @guachi: Doesn’t require an October Surprise. Requires a little steel. Buck up, champ. There’s an election to win here and we aren’t the enemy.

    This is clearly a coordinated campaign and our job is to explicitly not fall to despair, but throw it right back in the face of the crusading media and their sheep.

  145. 145.

    JoyceH

    @guachi: just curious – how old are you? In 1992, Bill Clinton was running THIRD in the polls, behind GHW Bush and Ross Perot. And there was a lot of panic then and calls for Clinton to step aside for a mythical better candidate. He stayed in and he won.

    Stating that a replacement candidate can’t win is simply realism. Say the Dems create some as yet undescribed process to pick a new candidate. That new candidate doesn’t have a campaign organization. That as yet uncreated campaign doesn’t have a bank account or any money to put in it. The money Biden-Harris raised can’t be spent by any candidate not named Biden or Harris. They don’t have a fundraising operation or a mailing list or a donor list or a web presence or a staff. In particular, they don’t have the massive legal staff they will need to defend the cases the GOP will file in every state to keep their candidate off the ballot. And considering the MAGAfication of the judiciary, some of those lawsuits will succeed. The new candidate will give the media a new shiny object to obsess on, delaying yet longer any serious reporting on Trump’s manifold unfitness. I’m for Biden not just because he’s been a good president but also because I’m convinced that any replacement at this stage in the calendar will lose. I’ll still vote for them, I’ll vote for a rotting corpse before I vote for Trump, but I think Biden is our best chance to win.

  146. 146.

    japa21

    @guachi: ​
      I am giving you the benefit if the doubt here, because you’ve been around here a while and are definitely not a troll.

    Let’s look at some of you points:
    85% of Dems think he is too old. Not sure that is accurate but roughly the same number of people feel Trump is too old, so it’s a wash.
    Calls to Dems in Congress are running 30:1, 50:1 80:1 saying Biden should drop out. This is something you have stated many times, yet I have yet to see any evidence presented that such is the case. And just how many of those calls are Republicans?
    If Biden can beat Trump, anybody can. What do you base that on? There is little doubt in my mind that many Dems would just not vote, feeling betrayed.
    We are all screaming, “The polls are wrong”. A few may be, but most of us aren’t.
    You keep talking about reports, like only 3-4 Senators still back Biden. Reports from whom? There is no way in hell that report is accurate. Hell, even Manchin came out in support of Biden.
    Look,November is a long way away. It is 99% certain Biden will be the nominee. Take a deep breath, and then start figuring out what you will be doing to make sure he wins.
    And if he loses, it won’t be because of Biden, it will be because of the people of this country not being able to get their heads out of their asses.

  148. 148.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Another anecdote, my normie wife who listens to a fair amount of Morning Sedition, has also noted the media insanity on this and not just from me screaming about it all day long.

    She learned to tune that out (the screaming all day long) decades ago.

  149. 149.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Eunicecycle:

    I find it again curious that the NYT only just published an editorial on the Felon must go. According to them, it was months in the works, but for some reason wasn’t ready until yesterday or the day before. While eleventy articles about Biden Must Go magically appeared overnight and never stopped. If you believe that, I ‘ve got a bridge to sell you.

  150. 150.

    Josie

    @rikyrah: ​
     This is exactly what I have been thinking. The plan was this all along; they just put in into action sooner than they had planned. The stumble at the debate gave them the opportunity and they grabbed it. Hopefully, it turns out to be overreach.

  154. 154.

    Eunicecycle

    @FDRLincoln: I think you’re right. They really are frightened of another Trump presidency but are doing the wrong things to try to prevent that. Throwing Joe overboard would make a Trump presidency MORE likely, not less, because of the split that would happen in the Democratic base. I don’t think people would switch to Trump but they just wouldn’t vote.

  155. 155.

    guachi

    @Mike E:

    The other really bad tendency with a bunch of people here is their seeming enjoyment in engaging and/or taunting these trolls.

    If Biden loses this is why. His supporters think that taking Trump’s threat to democracy seriously is trolling. That siding with Democratic voters is trolling. That disagreement is trolling.

    Biden supporters lashing out at the “media” and “elites” and calling for purges and death on dissenters is nutty.

    The reality is that America wants Biden to withdraw. Acknowledging that reality isn’t trolling.85% think Biden is too old. Making a positive case for someone voters this is too old and incompetent is extremely difficult. Acknowledging that reality isn’t trolling.

  156. 156.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @schrodingers_cat:

    You might be right. At this point, I am less interested in their motivations, than I am in fighting their actions. Which, to go back to your earlier point, translates to working for Biden-Harris and Dems up and down the ballot.

  157. 157.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @FDRLincoln:

    Keep the focus on the deranged rapist felon.

    The mission statement (which I admittedly keep flogging):

    “The election is about saving US democracy. Who’s gonna do that, the old guy who’s character and record are pretty awesome or the convicted rapist and 34 Felonies Dude who hobnobbed with with a pedophile pimp?

    And Dobbs.”

    Anytime anybody refers to Hair Furor, it needs to be a noun, a verb and “convicted-rapist-34-felonies-conviction-pedophile-pimp-associate”.

  158. 158.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @FDRLincoln: Pitch perfect. I hope that after we run away with this election that Democrats stand up and take notice who stood by them.

  160. 160.

    JML

    @guachi: mah dude, you’re the one who seems to be hoping for miracles if you think Biden’s withdrawal would do anything other than cause utter chaos, mass dissention in the ranks, and be a huge gift to TFG. Get a spine.

  164. 164.

    BR

    @O. Felix Culpa: ​
    And how long did their editorial against Trump stay on the front page? When I saw it, it was in small font on the right side halfway down the page. I had to search for it to find it in the sea of anti-Biden articles.

    Just enough for them to pat themselves on the back for being fair and balanced.

  165. 165.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @WereBear: stakes, salt, garlic, and fire. And tell that bastard he has to count all the stars in the night sky, to boot. What are the traditional Asian remedies against vampires? Let’s throw those into the mix as well.

  166. 166.

    TBone

    Most importantly, news-wise, we lost Dr. Ruth today.

    Ninety-six is a good run!

    https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2024-07-13/american-tv-sex-therapist-dr-ruth-dies-at-96-washington-post-reports

    Westheimer, who fled Nazi Germany as a child, said she first learned about sex when she was 10 years old and took her parents’ “marriage manual” out of a locked cabinet. What she saw on those pages would lead to a career that included international fame, books, instructional videos, lectures, teaching jobs, a radio show, countless television appearances, a syndicated column and even a “Good Sex” board game.

  167. 167.

    Eunicecycle

    @Kayla Rudbek: me too! I sneaked a peek at another commenter’s pied reply and just immediately toggled it back. Nothing we say will convince them so it’s a waste of bytes to try!

  168. 168.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @guachi: The reality is that America wants Biden to withdraw.

    This is a statement that cannot be proved or disproved. It is your opinion, not a fact.

  169. 169.

    guachi

    @FDRLincoln:

    Biden is holding the African American community, other ethnic groups, LGBTQ+,, and interestingly enough the left wing of the party.

    This is at odds with reality.

    A majority of Black voters want Biden to withdraw. A majority of Hispanic voters want Biden to withdraw. The % who want Biden to withdraw is so high that I’m sure a majority of LGBTQ+ want Biden to withdraw.

    Cori Bush said 100% of the calls to her office were for Biden to withdraw. Her district is 50% Black. Did no Black constituent bother to call her office in support of Biden?

  170. 170.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Folks, I like pie as much as the next person, but do we really have to keep feeding the troll?

  171. 171.

    guachi

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    It is your opinion, not a fact.

    Have you seen any polls lately? Any at all? When 70% of Biden voters want Biden to withdraw I think that’s a good indication of Democratic sentiment.

    When calls are 30:1 to Congressional offices for Biden to withdraw I think that’s a good indication of voter sentiment.

  172. 172.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Funny 80 whatever percent of Democrats want Biden to withdraw due to an intractable case of the olds, but won 90 percent of the vote against a guy who doesn’t bear naming whose only consistent message was that Biden in too old.

    …just…funny…

    ETA: Also worth noting that few people actively discussing D politics online want him to withdraw.

  173. 173.

    tailfedders

    @Layer8Problem:  I, too, would welcome any info on more behind the scenes work.  I always do lots of postcards, but would be willing to help more.  It seems like the volunteer default is ALWAYS  phonebanking. It’s excruciating to this introvert and I am actively bad at it, which rather defeats the purpose!

  174. 174.

    Mike E

    @Kayla Rudbek: I’ve set the filter to “hide” rather than display pics or random text, it’s less of a distraction. There is no correction possible with chaos actors.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation, JoyceH, japa21 seriously you are not helping here in replying to guachi, stop doing it. Oops, forgot delphinium… quit feeding them!

  175. 175.

    Layer8Problem

    F’kin’-a, folks, Biden dissenters are being threatened with “purges” and “death” according to the long-term BJ doomer.  I’m sure it’ll be full scale pogroms for splitters next, just you wait, and you’ll all be guilty for NOT LISTENING and BEING MEAN and NOT BELIEVING.

  176. 176.

    Kristine

    I’ve been wondering more than usual lately about interpretation of poll responses.

    I’ve received a few polling requests via text. I started answering one and came to a question about whether I would support Kamala Harris for President. My reflex response? Of course. But then I wondered how that response would be interpreted. Will the pollsters use it to support the call that President Biden step aside? Can responses be twisted that way? Given the lack of qualifiers in that question, I think it could be deployed in a number of ways. I wound up setting that poll aside. I may go back to it just to see what the follow-up questions are.

    I did respond to a poll that was more straightforward. It concentrated mostly on my state rep and the man running against her, so that was easy.

  178. 178.

    zhena gogolia

    @TBone:

    Most importantly, news-wise, we lost Dr. Ruth today.

    RIP. This is how bad I am — I thought you meant Dr. Ruth came out against Biden!

  179. 179.

    WereBear

    “We will attack him. We will diminish him. We will demean him. We will get inside his head. We will steal voters from him. We will make Donald Trump’s life a living, constant hell. That is what we do. That is what we specialize in,” said Wilson.

    And as soon as their R’s are in power again, they will go back to practicing their specialty on us.

  180. 180.

    guachi

    @JML: mass dissention in the ranks

    Who would dissent? The people who want Biden to drop out? The people who keep saying “shut up, shut up, shut up and support the nominee”?

    It won’t be the former because they’ll have gotten what they want. It won’t be the latter or they were just always lying about party unity. Who does that leave?

  181. 181.

    Mike in NC

    We need to keep pushing the truth about Project 2025 and the aim of the far right, including the deeply corrupt Extreme Court, to install Fat Bastard as the American version of Putin.

  182. 182.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: @Scout211:

    Interesting. What do you think, Dorothy, as a writer, about AI reviews?

    I understand they’re culled from “actual” reviews, but sooner or later, if they self-generate, won’t the majority of reviews be AI culling from AI?

  183. 183.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Mike E: Sometimes it’s not for the committed doomer but the wavering people reading all this who need messages of doom drowned out by messages to fight.

  186. 186.

    Eyeroller

    @FDRLincoln: I think your observation about who in the party is ratfucking Joe is right on the nose, but I’m not as convinced about the motive.  I do believe they want to beat Trump. I don’t think they are really feeling all that unsafe. Why should (most) of them? They’re still cishet, mostly male, mostly whites and a lot of them are well-off to wealthy.  What I suspect is that they want to get somebody that other whites will vote for.  They don’t care about the base. They don’t care about the primary voters.

  187. 187.

    Eolirin

    @West of the Rockies: You’re using special to apply to individuals and our emotional connection to them, I’m using special to apply to function, solely.

    There’s nothing a human can do that a sufficiently sophisticated machine can’t. Anyone asserting that a machine will never be able to do something is definitionally wrong. It may be beyond our current engineering abilities, but we get better at those. And humans aren’t magical. We’re also just machines. Highly sophisticated machines, but still machines. Our brains aren’t engaged in some impossible to duplicate information processing that can never be replicated or surpassed by anything. It’s all physics at the end of the day and those rules are universal.

    So yes, humans will still be special in an emotional sense, the same way that chess greats are worth celebrating even though they can’t actually beat the best computer solvers anymore. Go is solved, poker is solved. Humans are now getting better at poker by memorizing how computers play it.

    Our systems will continue to improve. Our engineering will continue to improve. There is a tipping point eventually with the things that are still hard become easy. Eventually we run out of things that are hard.

    It’s just a question of whether we survive as a species long enough.

  191. 191.

    TBone

    @zhena gogolia: in Dr. Ruth’s honor, I share this with care:

    Rethugs coming for contraception, BEWARE. Careful what you wish for, you fucking dolts!

    Women are FIGHTING BACK with panache!

    More Amplify ads are here. They are free for you to use (except in Arizona). “All videos have been tested to ensure they not only persuade our audiences but move them to action. This “mobisuasion” approach is meant to break through the noise and mobilize voters in our base to repeat our message.”

    https://digbysblog.net/2024/07/13/they-havent-come-for-condoms-yet/

  192. 192.

    Layer8Problem

    @tailfedders:  Yep, I have the same problem with phone banking.  My feeling was always that I never like random phone calls to me, maybe other people don’t either, so why should I do that to people when I already have to overcome the energy hump to be Bright and Engaging?  Other people think it’s important though, like I’m sure relentless emails asking for more money must be important too.

  193. 193.

    guachi

    @zhena gogolia:

    I am keeping a fucking list.

    More evidence of how unhinged Biden supporters have become.

    If Biden loses i promise I will not put your name on a list and hunt you down and have you purged.

  200. 200.

    cain

    @Wvng: but it’s ok to just do negative stuff on Biden and not mention any of the positive. There are always questions about him or the work he does.

  201. 201.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Russia The media didn’t start the war, Ukraine Democrats started the war by resisting.

  202. 202.

    Layer8Problem

    @Kristine:  I’ve gotten a few of those text poll requests, considered biting, and then asked myself how sure am I that this isn’t a scam, or the start of a directed disinformation injection, or a quick way of finding self-identifying Democrats to stuff into a database of phone numbers to be fed disinformation regularly in the future.

  203. 203.

    3Sice

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage:

    From anecdotal dems I thought would be shakey, I got way more concern about wtf is happening with the MSM than Joe. And more so as consumers than ideologically. Like that moment when you realize a once favorite restaurant is going under and there is no point in going back.

  204. 204.

    BR

    @TBone:

    Let’s not use such language. But I did laugh when I saw the announcement because I couldn’t even remember who she was or why I should care what she thinks.

  205. 205.

    E

    @tailfedders: I am an introvert but I have found canvassing, while torture, to be oddly endurable. It helps knowing what kind of voter you are talking to and the campaigns are usually good at that. You can visit strong supporters just to make sure they know about the election, can get to the polls, etc.

  207. 207.

    Eolirin

    @WereBear: You can tune the algo to deliberately output stuff that appeals to any group, or to slant its output in specific directions, so it doesn’t need to be reductionist like that. You can target audience niches and focus on getting better with just those audiences. Again, just like human authors do.

    There’s a lot of engineering work that would need to be solved before we got there at a level that could stand up to human output though. I don’t think this is coming for decades. But I do think it’s coming eventually.

  208. 208.

    guachi

    @E:

    you aren’t pointing out facts you dick you’re just throwing numbers around and then acting hurt and superior when we

    The numbers are facts. I assume people on this blog have seen the same polls and data I have. So I don’t feel the need to link it over and over.

    Acting hurt? Three people on this very blog wish me dead because I, along with the majority of Biden voters, want Biden to withdraw. I don’t wish death upon you because you think Biden shouldn’t.

  209. 209.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Mike E: That’s why I stopped replying directly and am doing most of this by reference and generalized positive messaging.

    If I may do better in some specific way, other than ignoring the elephant in the room, I’d love some practical advice.

  211. 211.

    different-church-lady

    @Jackie: Goddamn, when Rick Wilson is a smarter at being a Democrat than actual Democrats then we do have a problem.

  212. 212.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Eolirin:  Go is solved

    Not exactly. Human player defeats AI at the board game Go by finding and exploiting a weakness in the system

    First, I agree with you that an actual machine intelligence is possible. After all, they are composed of the same atoms as we are and the laws of physics are universal.

    The defeat of Alpha Go, to me, illustrates the limitations of the neural network approach. These systems are not alive, they are automata. We do not understand the difference and our current technology is a very superficial simulation of learning. [ETA it works amazingly well for certain problems]

    In the future it our understanding may increase and perhaps there will be Hal 9000. I don’t expect to live to see it.

  213. 213.

    different-church-lady

    @guachi: ​

    o I don’t feel the need to link it over and over.

    Indeed, you merely feel the need to state it over and over. And over.

  214. 214.

    Math Guy

    Years ago, some of my friends pointed out that one of my character flaws was that I kept expecting people to respond to logical arguments based on established facts. Since I have made a living doing mathematics since I was about 19 years old, I saw no problem with this. Now, with the wisdom of my 67 years of life, I still don’t get it! At some abstract level I understand what they were saying, but I don’t feel it in my gut. And that is the problem, isn’t it? I don’t feel it in my gut. I still find it hard to believe that so many people are willing to vote for trump, even though I understand that they are voting for “reasons“ having to do with resentment , bigotry, anger, and tribalism.

    For the past two weeks I have been following the discussions both for and against Biden staying in the race. And I have to be honest with you: I have leaned in favor of the arguments for Biden to withdraw from the race, and make Harris the nominee. Fortunately, it is not up to me. I don’t know if any of you read the Rude Pundit, but I think he says it well and with much more colorful language. It is time to put this debate behind us and get 100% behind Biden and go after the Republicans with everything we’ve got. For FS, the only reason Trump was able to show up to that debate was because he was out on bail! He is a convicted felon! And the driving forces behind his campaign intend to overthrow our constitution, and establish some kind of a sick theocratic dictatorship. And the more people who know that, including those who vote with their gut, the better Biden’s chances.

  216. 216.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    We’re witnessing a digital media January 6 play out over several weeks. They want to throw out your vote.  They want democratic institutions to falter.

    Give ’em hell.

  217. 217.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Layer8Problem:

    I have helped run Democratic campaigns. If you’re interested in data entry, go to or call the local headquarters, and ask if they need help. The need for data entry is less these days, because so much can be automatically uploaded into the system (Votebuilder), but they’ll probably still need capable people. And I do mean CAPABLE. Not dumping on you personally, but I can’t tell you how much of a pain it is to get data volunteers who haven’t used a computer since MS-DOS days or thereabouts. There really isn’t time or resources to train people how to log on to a computer.

    Other options for folks averse to phone-banking or door-knocking is being a receptionist at HQ, bringing snacks for workers, and calling committed volunteers to remind them of their shifts. We’ve also had people staff the office for yard sign pickups. If none of those work, just ask what else can be done. They’ll usually be able to come up with something

    ETA: This introvert agrees with comments above, that door-knocking is strangely more tolerable than phone-banking. People are generally more receptive and less hostile when you show up at their door, for reasons unknown. We always sent people out in pairs, so you also have the security of company too.

  221. 221.

    TBone

    @BR: thanks for your concern about my language, which shall go determinedly unheeded!

    My tongue has a mind of its own, and my only other language is German. Cuss words are not as effective in German.

    Otherwise, carry on 😁 is all I can offer.  I’m from DelCo, and we just DGAF.

  222. 222.

    WereBear

    @Eolirin: We can’t do quantum physics without computers, but computers don’t exactly “do” quantum physics, either.

    What worries me is the incredibly excruciatingly bad story telling going on at Disney. That sucks because the supervision does. They spend millions on concepts violating basic drama rules.

    An AI should have already thrown it out, but it’s hard to believe a bunch of humans did this on purpose.

    So you’re right. I can’t tell!

  223. 223.

    Lapassionara

    @O. Felix Culpa: I’m late to this thread, and I am replying to your comment at 78.

    I too have been trying to find an explanation for the widespread freakout after the debate, which seemed to me to be completely disproportionate to the event. I mean, a measured response would have been “wonder what was up with Biden? He sounded off, especially at the beginning of the evening.” Instead we got “he’s got to resign,” and we got that from so-called allies like Rachel Maddow. Saying “he’s got to resign” and not offering a credible way forward is nuts, to me.

    Not only that, we got the terrible immunity ruling the next Monday, and even that newsworthy event caused barely a blip in the freakout. Plus, we saw Trump at his recent rally (not sure when that happened) sounding like a blithering idiot. Again, barely a blip.

    All of this says to me that something sinister is going on and is being driven by forces that definitely want Trump back in office. Not knowing for sure, I guess Putin, who stands to benefit a lot if Biden loses.

    I also recall a weird rally several months ago when Trump told his audience that he really didn’t need their votes. What? Why would he say that? I also recall seeing recently that the GOP is planning to win by a landslide. I don’t know how they would know that here in July, before their convention.

    I don’t know if we have the ability to find out what is really going on and who is really driving this train, but I know we need to focus our energies on campaigning like crazy for the Biden Harris ticket.

  224. 224.

    Almost Retired

    I’m spending the weekend at my sister’s place on the Central CA coast, where the sea lions are sunning on the beach rather than polluting the comments.

  225. 225.

    different-church-lady

    @WereBear: ​”Why should I waste all this money getting humans to write a shitty movie when I can get a machine to do it?”

  226. 226.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Eolirin: get back to me when you have taught the robots how to crochet and to design knitting and crochet patterns. Seriously, no one has solved that problem (mechanization of crochet) yet as far as I know, and crochet has been around since at least the 19th century if not earlier.

  227. 227.

    Layer8Problem

    When you imply that zhena feckin’ gogolia is putting you on a list TO BE KILLED is when you basically declare to everyone that you’re an over the top loon, long past your pie-by date.

  231. 231.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Layer8Problem: Yeah, the to be killed.part is a crazy leap. How about to have their opinion disregarded, unless they show future signs of learning?

  234. 234.

    moonbat

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: At 2 p.m. today Christopher Bouzy is holding a virtual town hall to discuss recent polling. You can find it here:

     Live discussion debunking recent polling data

    In the advance talk about this meeting, Bouzy mentioned a report that I believe Another Scott linked to this week from the CHIP50 50-state survey analysis of polling data that found that the debate had no discernible effect on voters’ attitudes toward the two candidates.

  235. 235.

    tailfedders

    @E: thanks for that perspective,  though I admit to hoping for something better than endurable torture!  I found driving people to the polls an enjoyable task.  But it seems there must be a ton of grunt work and administrative tasks to be handled, hopefully freeing up others who are more gifted at the art of persuasion.

  238. 238.

    delphinium

    @Lapassionara:

    …GOP is planning to win by a landslide

    What really stuck out to me was that at least 2 Dems said this very thing, eventhough blow-out elections aren’t the norm any more. Hope there are some people looking into it.

  241. 241.

    Layer8Problem

    @O. Felix Culpa:  I have, demonstrated what I can do computerwise and typingwise, and was told “we already have people for that, but thanks”.  I left them my number and never heard anything again.  But that was for a local campaign.  I should broaden my inquiries.

  242. 242.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Lapassionara:

    Thanks for your reply. I have to get into my day, so will be brief.

    I agree that something sinister is going on. The enemy press action is blatant. The reaction is not commensurate to the cause. I’m not going to speculate about their motivation, because I don’t know. However, I do know that we have to fight them if we want to keep our democracy. The best way we do that is speaking the truth and working to reelect Biden-Harris.

    Ciao for now.

  245. 245.

    Tony Jay

    @wjca:

    Au contraire. Radical change is grabbing hold of that lever and tilting it away from oligarchic control and domination of the public sphere by groups and ideologies supportive of wealth supremacism towards pluralist democracy, a wider perspective on what constitutes human rights and a progressive redistribution of the vast wealth modern humanity is producing. Which is what Biden’s Administration, for all its occasional (and huge) missteps, is driving towards.

    What Project 2025 represents is a yanking back of that lever to an era when cash + connections > the votes of lesser folks. Status Quo (up the) Ante.

    There ain’t nothing radical about peace, love and understanding. 

  246. 246.

    Ken

    @Eolirin: There’s nothing a human can do that a sufficiently sophisticated machine can’t. 

    I was going to counter-argue with this list, then realized that (by Rule 34) there is already a site with videos of robotic “Seven Minutes in Heaven” sessions. But I think we’ll hold the line with Calvinball for a few more years.

  247. 247.

    Eyeroller

    @O. Felix Culpa: ​I did door-knocking in 2010 and it was excruciating and I vowed never again. They sent me all over rather than areas near where I lived. I encountered a lotof hostility because I was the third or fourth visitor. Maybe it would be better now but I’m not doing it.

  248. 248.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Layer8Problem:

    Too good not to respond to: so why do you think zg is hiding behind that Russian nym if she’s not planning assassinations, hmmm?

    /s

  249. 249.

    Eyeroller

    @O. Felix Culpa: At least some of it seems to be a power grab by oligarchs.  Not sure how much more there may be to it than that, e.g. foreign enemy action.  China seems to have had significant involvement with the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, for instance.

  250. 250.

    WereBear

    I once had the pleasure of discussing craft with Elmore Leonard, master of dialogue, and discussed the big names who were ghostwritten (and I exclaimed, “What, and they still bad!” and made him laugh. Lovely man.

    It’s about the obscure and expected bits that make something seem real, from fiction to drama. Look at all the learning we do that is not readily metricable.

  251. 251.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Eyeroller: Understood. I provided a number of other options to consider, plus just asking HQ what they need. Didn’t mention postcarding because lots of folks have already talked about it, but that’s something else one could do in the privacy of one’s own home and on one’s own time schedule.

    Now, my dog REALLY needs walking. Cheerio.

  252. 252.

    Eolirin

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: There’s evidence that LLMs are capable of in context learning actually. They can get better at novel tasks through the process of interacting in real time as long as the task continues to fit inside their context window. So there are some emergent properties to these systems that we haven’t fully grasped the extent of. Those context windows are also getting bigger. I think the distinction may begin to become harder to make as those context windows become effectively unbounded.

    There are a bunch of limits being placed on this stuff by using existing hardware architectures to try to solve some of these problems though.

    They’re not well suited for them. Our brains for instance combine processing and data storage into the same system. We don’t need months long training times to update our neural networks, every time we form a memory the network changes too. Or, every time the network changes we’re embedding a memory, however you want to look at it. Faking the network through simulation instead of just having a shifting network is massively more computationally expensive, though our brains are also much slower at certain things because of it, so there are trade offs.

    So we need more hardware innovation too. Quantum computers will actually be really good at lowering processing times with key parts of a lot of these systems too, if we can ever get those to work.

    I’m young enough that I think I’ll actually live to see it, because I don’t think it’s that far off. Though that presumes that climate change and societal upheaval doesn’t become a dominant factor first. And honestly it might.

  253. 253.

    Anoniminous

    @Eolirin: ​
     

    There’s nothing a human can do that a sufficiently sophisticated machine can’t.

    Wake me up when a computer can alter it’s microcode in response to new, real time, data in order to alter its Behavior.

  254. 254.

    Ken

    @Math Guy: Also, humans can decide which problems they want to see the solution to.

    Hmm, you’ve made me realize this isn’t humans vs. computers, but humans vs. corporations. You will buy an AI rice cooker, because the manufacturer says you want that solution.

    Some friends recently had to replace their fridge, and I facetiously asked if the new one was AI. They said it was, but they weren’t using those “features”.

  259. 259.

    different-church-lady

    @Math Guy: ​

    Only humans can decide which problems they want to see the solution to.

    And apparently they’ve decided on “none.”

  261. 261.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @WereBear: On the Book of Face, my posts about Project 2025 are getting notices that they were “fact checked” by the conservative magazine The Dispatch, and that if I keep posting misinformation my posts will be downplayed.

    So…. the same folks being funded by the billionaires funding Project 2025 get to decided what the “truths” are about 2025. I’d say make it make sense, but I know that trying to shape reality is exactly what they’re up to.

  264. 264.

    trollhattan

    @Another Scott:

    Instantly after Biden’s presser gaffes BBC led with the story and clips at the top of each news break and the lead story with every news program, for at least two days. This is World News, mind, and they made it the most important story on the globe for at least 48 hours.

    I shall stand in for Tony Jay who will have receipts, but understand during the lengthy Tory regime they both slashed BBC funding and installed True Believers at the top to reign in their newsgathering and editorial bent. They’re not around the bend yet, but are in peril of losing the thread and hopefully are on the Labour cafeteria tray of “shit we have to fix the Tories broke.”

    ‘Tis a damn shame. They still have more assets around the globe than any US news outfit, by a couple orders of magnitude. Like we hear about Sudan on any US network? The massacre ongoing makes Gaza seem like a bad picnic.

  265. 265.

    Layer8Problem

    @schrodingers_cat:  She was in an episode of one of the Star Treks, so she’s got that going for her.

    Actually, so was the King of Jordan; has he weighed in on this?

  266. 266.

    Anoniminous

    “General intelligence involves situational reasoning, taking perspectives, choosing goals, and an ability to deal with ambiguous information.  We observe that all of these characteristics are connected to the ability of identifying and exploiting new affordances—opportunities (or impediments) on the path of an agent to
    achieve its goals. A general example of an affordance is the use of an object in the hands of an agent. We show that it is impossible to predefine a list of such uses. Therefore, they cannot be treated algorithmically. This means that “AI agents” and organisms differ in their ability to leverage new affordances. Only organisms can do this.”

    Roli, Andrea, Johannes Jaeger, and Stuart A. Kauffman. “How organisms come to know the world: Fundamental limits on artificial general intelligence.” Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9 (2022): 806283.

    For extra analysis read:
    Birhane, Abeba. “The impossibility of automating ambiguity.” Artificial Life 27.1 (2021): 44-61.

  267. 267.

    E

    @Eyeroller: This is a huge problem and is a result of inexperience in running a campaign. I am sorry you had to deal with that. It is so easy to fix! It drives me crazy! Campaigns have to get better! We have to start playing to win and dump this amateur hour bullshit. It’s just too important now.

  272. 272.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Eolirin: There’s nothing a human can do that a sufficiently sophisticated machine can’t

    Do it cheaply.

    Automation is not cheep.  Ford dropped their self driving car project because of the consumer cost means no one would buy it. One one the reason for the current push towards automation is skilled labor shortage which makes automating certain jobs worth it because it frees up valuable bodies for more important tasks.

  273. 273.

    moonbat

    @Layer8Problem: My postcards are supposed to arrive in today’s mail and my stamp rolls Tuesday. I’m pretty sure I am still going to be pissed off enough at this current MSM environment that I’ll be knocking out 20 per day. lol

  274. 274.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Amazon has been implementing AI-generates summaries of customer reviews on a wide variety of products I’ve seen.

    It’s actually one of the useful use cases for AI. It does require a “sufficient” (number of unknown) number customer reviews to summarize, but it’s been really useful for products that have hundreds or even thousands of reviews. In additional to the written summary, it also provides bullet-list positive/neutral/negative ratings of various aspects of the product, e.g. “fit,” “durability,” etc. Though there’s probably no equivalent for books.

    Interestingly, you can see the quirks of LLM-generated text. Most commonly in misusing “that said” where the LLM doesn’t understand the phrase is normally used to indicate a change in opinion (e.g. “customers like X, that said some have concerns about Y), so it ends up with weird “customers like X, that said some also like Y” sentences.

  276. 276.

    Eolirin

    @Anoniminous: If you want to draw a distinction on AI agent vs organism I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with the assumption that building a system that is capable of real time learning and adaptation is impossible. If that were the case humans couldn’t exist.

    We can call them synthetic organisms once we make them instead of AI if it helps. I don’t rightly care. But the idea that they’re impossible is bonkers.

  278. 278.

    Jinchi

    Nearing Israel-Hamas deal

    I hope nobody is holding out for that one. There are too many critical actors (like Netanyahu) who want the deal to fail and most of them also want Biden to lose re-election.

  279. 279.

    TBone

    Tiedrich is ALWAYS good for a belly laugh in “This Week in Stupid.”

    hey, did you know under Project 2025, Canadian anchor-baby Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz would be deported? it would almost make the death of American democracy worthwhile to know that former Senator Fidel would be exiled and doing his crappy podcast from a drafty cabin in snow-covered Saskatchewan.

    That’s not the laughter I’m referring to though.  That appears on video:

    https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/this-week-in-stupid-july-13-edition

  280. 280.

    O. Felix Culpa

    The dog is doing his usual stop’n’sniff, so popping back in to suggest putting out a Biden-Harris yard sign, if you can.  A visible show of support.

  282. 282.

    different-church-lady

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: True story (or at least how a true set of events was relayed to me…)

    Working for (major electronics manufacturer), I did the programming for long-form point of purchase videos that demonstrated their products in a small theater in each of their factory stores.

    China was starting to boom, and they had plans to open 200 stores in China.

    The creative director was a bit obsessive, and even the speed of the house lights dimming down and coming back up mattered to him. So we had a programmable control box do the house lights. A few hundred bucks for each theater.

    The Chinese balked at this requirement. One reason was that apparently the very thing we specified cost a lot more in China. But the major reason they told us was that over there, instead of buying hardware it would be a lot cheaper to just hire a human to dim the lights manually at each showing.

  283. 283.

    Ken

    @Eyeroller: China seems to have had significant involvement with the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, for instance.

    I’ll just assume there’s been a backdoor deal that a Trump administration will abandon Taiwan.

  284. 284.

    Archon

    The surreal part in this is we just saw a press conference from Biden where everyone, EVERYONE agrees that Trump wouldn’t be able to do to save his life. Yet it’s Biden who should drop out?

    I genuinely wonder how future historians and political scientists are going to be able to explain this period in time.

  287. 287.

    Jackie

    @WereBear:

    And as soon as their R’s are in power again, they will go back to practicing their specialty on us.

    But, right now, they’re working WITH US with the common goal of beating TCFG and MAGA congress critters.

    No one can predict the GQP/MAGA future. Yes, some will work to rebuild the “traditional conservative, small d democracy” party. Others may stay as moderate Democrats.

    I welcome ALL who share the common goal of defeating TCFG and MAGA.

  288. 288.

    Eolirin

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Sure. Costs can preclude a lot of these solutions from being viable commercially.

    Enough people are invested in the research, and have been for decades, that I don’t see a move away from it though. And there will be edge use cases that have commercial viability or that resolve ethical concerns that require the capabilities being developed.

  291. 291.

    different-church-lady

    @Sister Golden Bear: ​

    so it ends up with weird “customers like X, that said some also like Y” sentences.

    I more often see, “that said, some also like X” kinds of things.

    Here’s what we need more than A-I: we need technology that reincarnates Douglas Adams, so he can continue to remind us why we shouldn’t be doing any of this crap.

  293. 293.

    BR

    I am seeing that Bernie has written an op ed in support of Biden. I will not find the link because it is NYT. But still, once again, I’m happy to see that Bernie is being more die-hard of a Dem as the life-long independent that he is than many supposed Dems are.

  294. 294.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Eolirin:

    It’s a summary of the human reviews, really.

    So, is it a “good” summary? An “accurate” summary?

    Do I know if an Amazon book review is a bot? Does the AI reviewer?

    I don’t know the answers to these questions! I’m just a searcher for some level of objective truth and concerned I might not know what that means anymore.

  296. 296.

    Anoniminous

    @Eolirin:

    In order to be able to adequately respond to the Final Interpretant as passed through the organism’s Umwelt.

  300. 300.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Another Scott: As someone who works in Silicon Valley, the article is absolutely spot-on that there’s an AI bubble that will end badly. Very few companies are actually making money using it and the it’s hugely expensive to run. It’s being pushed by the same hypersters who were previously promoting blockchain, NFTs, crypto, etc. etc.

    That said, we need to remember that LLM ≠ AI, and there’s actually use cases where AI can be really useful. E.g. Amazon using it to summarize customer reviews. It’s just that those use cases are “utilitarian” rather than the generative AI stuff that’s getting all the hype.

    Saw a really good demo from a company in the film-making field showing up AI can be used for the really-important-but-boring task of synching up shots from various cameras plus audio from different mics. It’s a prerequisite to film editing and can easily take a day. Their app did it in under a minute — and also synched it to the script (with multiple language translations if needed), and was able to tag the footage with various people, location, objects, and actions. E.g. there’s a cat that walks into a short, or an actor takes a drink, or a location is indoors/outdoors. Assuming it works as advertised, it would dramatically speed up the production process.

  301. 301.

    Ruckus

    @Central Planning:

    I used to travel a lot for work – a lot…. Most of the time the local desk of any airport service will really try not to run outside the main rules of say, car rental. However the main office knows that an unsatisfied customer is very often a lost customer. And sometimes that is real money. I had a Hertz rep tell me once that I was in the top 5% of customers even though I had the base Hertz card, rather than the spiffy top of the heap card. She was amazed. So was I.

    All the companies that you use in the travel industry know that most people do not travel all that much, there’s just a lot of people, but some travel a lot and appreciate decent service. And sometimes they actually provide that.

  303. 303.

    Jinchi

    @TBone They are free for you to use (except in Arizona)

    I feel like there’s a story buried in that parenthetical.

  304. 304.

    gwangung

    @BR: Good. I never had a problem with his aims and goals. I just didn’t like the people he picked as implementers and the plans he proposed to implement them.

  305. 305.

    Archon

    @rikyrah: If all this energy against dropping Biden was simply about replacing him with Kamala Harris I’d probably resign myself to the idea that it probably gives us a marginally better chance to win.

    Unfortunately this feels like a top down coup by donors to get a completely new ticket against the will of most Democrats. I say unfortunate because I wish I didn’t feel this way. The Democratic Party feels utter compromised right now.

  306. 306.

    Jackie

    @different-church-lady: Rick Wilson, along with the other Never Trumpers don’t clutch their pearls or wet their beds like too many Democrats do. They roll up their sleeves and try to get shit done with the goal of defeating TCFG by RE-ELECTING BIDEN.

  307. 307.

    moonbat

    @Anoniminous: It’s Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem all over again. AI cannot think outside the system it occupies. People, some of them, can.

  308. 308.

    West of the Rockies

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    Why would we want such a future? (Not saying you do.)

    Hooray, AI can take over everybody’s job, suck up MASSIVE amounts of energy, pollute the planet, and kill us.  Super awesome sauce.  Sounds like WALL-E.

  309. 309.

    Eolirin

    @Sure Lurkalot: The summaries have been fairly accurate if a bit generic from what I’ve looked into on Amazon product listings. And it probably can’t tell if the review was left by a bot. Humans would struggle with that too. That’s been an issue with Amazon reviews since get. Though it’s historically been paid humans screwing with that.

    It’s not like the reviews go away either. They’re still very visible.

  310. 310.

    different-church-lady

    @Sister Golden Bear: ​The lining up technology has been available for years.

    The tagging thing is new, and potentially helpful in little ways. But (speaking from only very basic experience editing just one documentary) I doubt any machine can improve on a creator directly interacting with the material. I discovered so many story angles that would not have emerged if I hadn’t directly reviewed all the footage myself.

    Here’s a scenario where A-I would help: I can’t remember which reel out of the 20 Jim said a certain something to Jane, and I don’t remember the sentence verbatim, so doing a word-search on a transcript won’t find it. So the A-I digs through the auto-transcripts and offers up all the sentences that are similar to my request.

  312. 312.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Archon: The donor class trying to assert control is a big part of this story. Campaign finance reform needs to be put back on the agenda in a big way.

  313. 313.

    TBone

    Reposting in honor of Dr. Ruth.  C’mon, people!  It only takes a moment to SHARE these fabulous weapons for our cause!

    https://digbysblog.net/2024/07/13/they-havent-come-for-condoms-yet/

    A Friday breakout session titled “Amplify: Getting Louder in 2024” featured ads written and tested to move audiences on key issues.

    …

    Humor is an important way to grab viewers’ attention. But it’s hard to do irony, explained panelist Anat Shenker-Osorio. The ad above generated eye rolls when first tested. Audiences thought it an exaggeration, unbelievable. Creators had to add the end cards to explain that this joke is no joke.

    Republicans blocked a bill to protect access to contraception on June 5.
    LET’S GO!  Don’t just do something, stand there.

  314. 314.

    trollhattan

    @Jinchi: ​
    I think Bibi would begin killing Israelis if he thought they threatened his precious war. It’s keeping him in office, safe from the courts.

  316. 316.

    different-church-lady

    @Eolirin: ​I’m not even sure why I want a “summary” of reviews. If someone loves it, I want to know why. If someone hates it, I want to know why.

    I’m sure I’m not alone in the experience of looking at a bad review and seeing that the customer was expecting the thing to do something it was never designed to do, like they didn’t even attach the review to the right product.

  318. 318.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @zhena gogolia: I put my sign out the day of the debate.  Will confess that I wavered the day after,  but decided I didn’t want to act like a summer soldier. It’s staying up to bear witness, unless Joe tells me otherwise.

  319. 319.

    prostratedragon

    Genius, I tell you. Sheer genius:

    [H]e’s still facing dozens more felony charges in both state and federal jurisdictions. And because some RNC delegates are fake electors currently facing criminal charges, Trump may be in violation of his bail agreement if he has any contact with them.

  320. 320.

    TBone

    @Jinchi: I just put together a repost of that important tool meant for sharing and it went poof! into the ether.

    Trying again!  C’mon people, don’t just do something, stand there!

    Humor is an important way to grab viewers’ attention. But it’s hard to do irony, explained panelist Anat Shenker-Osorio. The ad above generated eye rolls when first tested. Audiences thought it an exaggeration, unbelievable. Creators had to add the end cards to explain that this joke is no joke.

    Republicans blocked a bill to protect access to contraception on June 5.
    https://digbysblog.net/2024/07/13/they-havent-come-for-condoms-yet/

    Shareable weaponry at link!  

    And, oops, now I see it 😆 duh.

    Third time’s a charm.

  322. 322.

    Ken

    @Sister Golden Bear: See, that film-editing support sounds useful — and works — and I’d have more respect for the possibilities if that were the sort of thing that was being emphasized.

    But no, what’s being pushed for video is ChatGPT-like generators, which can take a still image of a person and produce a ten-second video of them turning their head to the right. Except the video will have a few frames where their head splits in two and their clothing changes color, but that’s the best demo sample they got after running two hundred prompts. This, the hype assures us, will replace the entire film industry within a few years.

  323. 323.

    Ruckus

    @Nukular Biskits:

    This should actually read

    “A smart, experienced 81 is “too old” but an asshole 77 is not?”

    There is such a wide difference between the two of them – the oldest is a real human and the only slightly younger is, human only in the broadest of terms, and is getting far worse (of his own accord) by the second.

  324. 324.

    Hilbertsubspace

    I feel we need a lighter tone.

    On windy roads, and steep inclines,

    please watch the roads, and not the signs.

    BERMA-SHAVE

    For unhappy Russians, crawling with bugs,

    there are Ukrainian drones, giving out free hugs.

    BERMA-SHAVE

  325. 325.

    SiubhanDuinne

    It’s late in this thread, and anyhow I think this is worth FPing, but Bernie Sanders, believe it or not, has just written an op Ed for the FTFNYR, believe it or not, in which he takes both media and Dems to task and comes out strongly and unreservedly for Biden.

    GIFT LINK

    Good for Bernie. Yes, he notes his policy disagreements with Biden. If he didn’t, I doubt the piece would be as powerful or persuasive.

  326. 326.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @West of the Rockies:  Why would we want such a future? (Not saying you do.)

    There’s plenty of fictional literature, both dystopian and utopian. The one thing I think I can reliably predict [don’t bet on my predictions!] is that research will continue.

    @Sister Golden Bear points out the hype factor, another predictable human behavior. Some people got rich betting on cryptocurrency. I’m not one of them.

  330. 330.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @MinuteMan: That’s the one that might take down human civilization. Best we do as much prevention as possible right now.

  331. 331.

    Ken

    @West of the Rockies: Sounds like WALL-E.

    Wait, we all get flying cars lounge-chairs and get to watch videos and eat junk food all day? Why has this not been emphasized in the push for AI?

  333. 333.

    VFX Lurker

    @Nukular Biskits: Every time I watch that movie, I see something I previously missed.

    I rewatched Airplane! earlier this week. The most expensive shot in the film happens early, when a misdirected 747 crashes through an airport window. The plane captures so much of one’s attention that it’s easy to miss the woman throwing her baby into the air in the foreground.

    I only caught that joke on rewatch because the “making of” audiobook pointed it out.

    Some of the gags/jokes reference were specific to the late 70s/early 80s so I fear the day I won’t remember why some of it was so funny.

    Exhibit A: Howard Jarvis waiting in the taxi during the entire film, watching the meter go up. The gag still works without knowing who Howard Jarvis was, though.

    Exhibit B: the male announcer describing abortion as: “It’s really the only sensible thing to do if it’s done properly. Therapeutically there’s no danger involved.” That ridiculous line was lifted verbatim from Airport (1970). Plus, the filmmakers hired the real husband-and-wife team that recorded announcements for LAX back then to play the roles of the announcers.

  334. 334.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @different-church-lady: and will give the inverse to your story. I am part of a project to do automated testing, it’s horribly expensive and a massive headache, but there are simply not enough human beings out there with the necessary skill set to  to do the work so it must be done.

    As it is, most of my job is monitoring the test fixtures and repairing them when they break, and because these things are complicated they break all the time.

  337. 337.

    sab

    @schrodingers_cat: I think Bernie Sanders always wanted to be a Democrat but he couldn’t tolerate the DLC. I shared his distaste. It’s why I had to hold my nose to vote for Gore.

    DLC is to American Democrats what Tony Blair and Keir Starmer are to UK Labour. They hijacked a party that they share few values with.

  339. 339.

    scav

    @Sister Golden Bear: Doubt I’d go so far as to trust anyone, especially not a corporate anyone not to jump up and down on those scales.  They already play with the sorting, sponsors on top, so why not the filters on aggregating comments?  Which are themselves already artificial to no small degree.  GIGO. Hallucinations are made of these.  On the upside, it might have produced some excellent dada science fiction, so there is that.

  340. 340.

    Ken

    @Eolirin: And it probably can’t tell if the review was left by a bot.

    “P*SSY IN BIO” is probably a hint.

    (Though in an interview I saw recently, Ed Zitron said they’re not bothering with the bio anymore, and just putting the image right in the reply. I’d feel terrible for Twitter’s content moderation team, except they were all fired ages ago.)

  342. 342.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Eolirin: Enough people are invested in the research, and have been for decades,

    And that’s why I am speaking from personal experience on this.

    Doing automated testing on  printed circuit boards requires a minim  production run of three hundred units a month, otherwise automation not economically viable and a human being becomes cheaper.   One human being can learn how to test and repair three to ten products depending on their abilities, an automated test fixture can only ever test one things and can’t repair it.

  344. 344.

    Soprano2

    @Wvng: He thinks reporting on what the Biden admistration has done economically is up to the Biden PR people? That tells you a lot right there.

  345. 345.

    Lehrjet

    @guachi: You keep repeating the same figures, yet you haven’t provided a shred of evidence. This media campaign has a rank smell about it and I believe we have all seen this movie over and over again.

    One of the candidates isn’t qualified and it ain’t  Joe.

    To the rest of us Jackals:

    We beat these bastards in 2020 and 2022 , stay steady and keep on keepin’ on

  347. 347.

    sab

    @Soprano2: Of course the economy has nothing to do with actual people or voters. It is just political theater.

    Talk about entitled stupidity.

  348. 348.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @FDRLincoln:

    I have a theory about this. Black Americans and LGBTQ folks have never felt safe in this country. But your moderate-liberal straight white person has usually had a presumption of safety. They aren’t used to getting death threats or having their very existence challenged.

    I think a lot of the pile on against Joe is coming from people who have always felt safe but now see the death threats from the GOP, Project 2025, and the blank check that Trump now has from the Court.

    They feel deeply unsafe politically for the first time in their lives. And even though Joe has shown he can govern well and has been campaigning effectively since the debate, people are taking this inner fear and projecting it into looking for a savior. This is especially true for those who aren’t supporting Kamala, who is the only realistic alternative to Joe.

    The pile on is because a lot of comfortable white people understand in their bones for the first time that their lives are at stake this election.

    This. Ab-sol-fucking-lutely this.

    To which which I’ll add, comfortable white cis-het people* aren’t used to having to fight the long fight. Nor to seeing voting as a chess move, not a valentine.

    *Break glass, insert emergency “not all comfortable white cis-het people.” Seriously, it ain’t you, then don’t make it about you.

  351. 351.

    Another Scott

    @Ken: and SGB – The “Olympic” AI stuff I’ve seen is creepy – gymnasts with legs at both ends of their bodies – stuff like that.  :-/

    I’m sure there are use cases for carefully curated LLMs to actually be helpful (e.g. using known good internal data).  Scraping the internet, consuming the electric power of a small country, and calling it “AI” is not one of them.

    I’m not sure Amazon’s “AI” summaries are all that helpful.  Most of the time I find reviews (especially of Chinese-sourced products) to be impossible to believe.  (Nobody I know is ecstatic about casters or try-squares and can’t wait to drop what they’re doing to post a glowing review…)  Having some AI thing summarize a bunch of fake reviews isn’t helpful.  Eliminating steps to find views that are more likely to be genuine would be.  Fixing their abysmally bad product search would be helpful as well…

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  352. 352.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Soprano2: Reporters should report what is happening, for good or ill, not pushing their owner’s agenda.

    Owners are the problem. Down with the capital-driven agenda.

  354. 354.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Lehrjet: I’m inclined to believe there’s a lot of polling data that says Dem voters would prefer another candidate.

    I’m also willing to believe that this is the case for a LOT of candidates, generally.

  355. 355.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Coupla things

    1.Thanks for the discussion on AI, from those of you who have subject matter expertise. I have none, so appreciate your thoughts.

    2. With respect to being scared about the election, I’ve said it before, and will repeat: I’m scared too. There’s so much at stake, and I’m in some target groups. Not high profile like Joe Biden or Liz Cheney, but the retribution never stops at that level. Ever since I was young and reading children’s biographies of people like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, I thought about how scared people back then must have felt. They were living these wars in real time and didn’t know the outcome. There were times when their situations looked grim and victory unlikely. And yet they persisted…and prevailed. Despite my fear, I feel that I can do no less. IMO, that’s the best way to get our preferred outcome. And if we lose, at least we’ll know we’ve done our best. But honestly, I think we can win, if we hang together.

  357. 357.

    Eolirin

     

    @moonbat: That is a category error. Godel was talking about the limits of defined systems of mathematical rules. This is about the evolution of a computational system of sufficient complexity to novel inputs. They’ve got nothing to do with each other.

    Humans can’t think outside the limits of their biology to process information. That’s the substrate we’d actually be talking about with people. It’s literally impossible. It’s the same thing with an artificial system. There’s no transcending it in either case. Artificial systems are limited by physics and engineering advancements. Humans are limited by physics and biological evolution. You tell me which you think ends up winning in the long run. Evolution’s got a huge headstart, but it’s slooooow.

    @Anoniminous: I’m sorry, why would it need to change its microcode to be able to do that? If that microcode constructs a system that itself can change, in real time, as it’s fed inputs, why does the microcode need to change?

    Humans don’t go around changing their DNA in response to novel events (Or when we do, it tends to kill us). The changes are occurring at the network level, not the base code level in humans. That’s where all the data processing is happening. It’s already second order. We don’t go altering the rules our body uses to fold proteins or add an extra receptor site to a neuron when we’re exposed to sensory inputs.

    So what you’re really looking at is the ability to change model weights in real time. Right now that’s not practical for systems at the scale necessary to ouput useful data processing, but it’s hardly impossible. Much like neural networks themselves were a solution that could not be effectively used until there was sufficient compute, some of these things will only be possible with much more powerful or novel hardware.

  358. 358.

    me

    @MisterForkbeard: ​
     I recall there was a bunch of this before the debate too. Left unasked was who should replace him and who they would never accept. You’d get thousands of different answers and that is why Biden withdrawing is a recipe for chaos.

  359. 359.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Sister Golden Bear: No shit?!  That’s amazing!  Truly one of the funniest gags/scenes in movie history and one that I’ve been referencing a lot with friends about our frustration with the Replace-Biden set.

  360. 360.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Eyeroller:

    I think your observation about who in the party is ratfucking Joe is right on the nose, but I’m not as convinced about the motive.  I do believe they want to beat Trump. I don’t think they are really feeling all that unsafe. Why should (most) of them? They’re still cishet, mostly male, mostly whites and a lot of them are well-off to wealthy.  What I suspect is that they want to get somebody that other whites will vote for.  They don’t care about the base. They don’t care about the primary voters.

    The motivations of party ratfuckers and folks like Clooney are different. But FDRLincoln is spot on about the reaction I’m seeing from friends and others IRL and on the Book of Faces.

  364. 364.

    Eolirin

    @Ken: Yeah all that stuff is bullshit. It’s not the stuff that’s gonna matter in 5 years.

    LLMs will, I think, be really important but not for what they’re currently being used as.

    They’re a really powerful component for getting natural language processing to be viable, but the really interesting use cases are going to come from mixed model scenarios, where the LLMs and vision models are used to create input for or translate output from something else, not from something that looks like ChatGPT.

    It’ll act as a translation layer for other more useful tools. But costs will need to be brought down a lot first. There’s a good amount of progress being made there though.

  365. 365.

    Eolirin

    @different-church-lady: It roughly tells you that, it just does so based on the aggregates of people. So it pulls out the things that most people are saying positive and negative.

    When you’ve frequently got thousands of reviews for a product this *is* helpful. And because those weird outlier posts that don’t seem to match up to the product are weird outliers, they get excluded.

  366. 366.

    prostratedragon

    @rikyrah:
    Please check out Igor’s post. He reproduces Railkin’s spreadsheet that has all the names, roles, and categories of reasons. The latter, in order, are: Flynn unmasking; Biden laptop; 2020 Election; 2016 Election; Crossfire Hurricane team; Ukraine Whistleblower Team; Impeachment Managers #1; Impeachment Managers #2; J6 Police Forces; J6; J6 Committee; J6 Wit; Fulton County GA Counsel; CV19; DMA [military legal officers]; DHS; NIH; DHS Disinfo Governance Board; Censorship [twitter]; and Media, both individuals and corporations. In other words, anyone who in the last 8 years as told a certain motherfucker “No.”

  367. 367.

    Another Scott

    Speaking of AI, … Phys.org:

    Books and movies of the future could all start to feel the same if creative industries embrace artificial intelligence to help write stories, a study published on Friday warned.

    The research, which drew on hundreds of volunteers and was published in Science Advances, comes amid rising fears over the impact of widely available AI tools that turn simple text prompts into relatively sophisticated music, art and writing.

    “Our goal was to study to what extent and how generative AI might help humans with creativity,” co-author Anil Doshi of the University College London told AFP.

    For their experiment, Doshi and co-author Oliver Hauser of the University of Exeter recruited around 300 volunteers as “writers.”

    These were people who didn’t write for a living, and their inherent creative ability was assessed by a standard psychology test that asked them to provide 10 drastically different words.

    The scientists then split them randomly into three groups to write an eight-sentence story about one of three topics: an adventure on the open seas, an adventure in the jungle, or an adventure on another planet.

    […]

    The authors found that, on average, AI boosted the quality of an individual writer’s creativity by up to 10 percent, and the story’s enjoyability by 22 percent, helping particularly with elements like structure and plot twists.

    These effects were most significant for writers who were judged during the initial task to be the least creative, “so it has this kind of leveling the playing field effect,” said Doshi.

    But on the collective level, they found AI-assisted stories looked much more similar to each other than those produced without any AI help, as writers “anchored” themselves too heavily to the suggested ideas.

    Hauser said this created a “social dilemma.” On the one hand, “you make it easier for people to get in; lowering barriers is good.” But if the collective novelty of art decreases, “it could be harmful down the line.”

    […]

    The giant movie studios and “reality TV” producers will no doubt love it. :-/

    Survivor 2029! Tune in to find out who gets the refrigerator box and the curtain rod!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  368. 368.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @different-church-lady:

    I doubt any machine can improve on a creator directly interacting with the material. I discovered so many story angles that would not have emerged if I hadn’t directly reviewed all the footage myself.

    Here’s a scenario where A-I would help: I can’t remember which reel out of the 20 Jim said a certain something to Jane, and I don’t remember the sentence verbatim, so doing a word-search on a transcript won’t find it. So the A-I digs through the auto-transcripts and offers up all the sentences that are similar to my request.

    Agreed. They weren’t pitching their tool as a substitute for reviewing footage. The latter is more what their tool is aiming to do.

    Or otherwise finding things quickly when needed. One example was that there’s a shot where a cat walks into frame, but the cat isn’t visible at the beginning of the shot, so it doesn’t show up in the thumbnail of the shot. Making it harder to find in the thumbs myself. If I know I want to review that shot, I can have the AI go find it for me.

  369. 369.

    SoupCatcher

    It feels to me like there is a desperation to get Biden and Harris out before they are officially nominated, so I was curious where we were in that process.  I haven’t seen anything new since the original announcement on 24 June, three days before the debate.

    I wonder if the following information is still accurate:

    In order to nominate Biden and Harris before the Ohio deadline, the DNC’s Credentials Committee and the Rules Committee will next need to adopt their reports to allow the virtual roll call, which will formally nominate Biden and Harris, to take place before the convention.

    …

    The first Platform Committee meeting will be July 16, followed by the Rules Committee meeting on July 19 and the Credentials Committee’s first meeting on July 21.

    Source: https://sourcenm.com/2024/06/24/dnc-moves-ahead-on-all-virtual-roll-call-for-biden-presidential-nomination/

  370. 370.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: I think Democrats understand the dangers of a second Trump term as well as do former Republicans like Rick Wilson and Ron Filipkowski. The difference is that they see more clearly what many Democrats don’t, that Donald Trump is in fact a weak candidate.

  371. 371.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @different-church-lady:

    I’m not even sure why I want a “summary” of reviews. If someone loves it, I want to know why. If someone hates it, I want to know why.

    I use the summaries to get a general sense of things, when there’s literally hundreds of reviews. E.g. if there’s a numerous companies about something like battery life, it saves me from having to figure that out myself from reading lots of reviews.

    That said, I’ll still skim the reviews, and/or use search, to weed out negative reviews that aren’t relevant, e.g. people complaining because the product doesn’t do something it was never meant to do.

  372. 372.

    Ruckus

    @Another Scott:

    Think about reporters as assembly line workers. 

    They have a limited time to get from “What do I write?” to “All done boss!” and it limits how much time, effort and the results that they can achieve. They also have competition, we have newspapers, radio and TV news, news organizations, all having to outdo each other in time and substance. Now it’s also not on the level of building a nuclear power plant every day but it is very competitive.

  374. 374.

    Renie

    Question for anyone doing postcards – do you mail them out now or are you holding them until maybe Sept or Oct?

  375. 375.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Ken: The folks at Strada were highly critical of CPT-type generators for film-making, not just because it sucks, but it ignores how creative professionals actually work and the value they bring.

    That’s why they argue the real opportunities are for using AI to help with the really-important-but-tedious tasks of production workflow. The Strada folks have been doing production workflows for years, so I have a higher confidence that they know what they’re talking about.

    Here’s a talk, and demo of their product, that goes into details. “What If We Got A.I. All Wrong?” Obviously, they’re also pitching their product, but their larger take—on both actual ultility and business perspectives—matches what I’ve seen looking at AI from a user experience POV in other fields. “Utilitarian AI” is far less sexy than generative AI, but that’s where the true value is — not just in film making, but in pretty much all the areas I’ve worked on so far, and what my peers have worked on.

  376. 376.

    Geminid

    @TBone: German is a good language to know, but if you like cussing you might want to consider learning Turkish. Someone once said, “Persian is made for poetry, Arabic is made for prose, and Turkish is made for cursing.”

  377. 377.

    TEL

    @FDRLincoln: Yeah, this is what I’m seeing as well. Those who’ve had their back against the wall before aren’t the ones panicking or losing hope. It’s been a weird experience seeing this. And surprisingly, the republicans I know saw a very different debate. They were focused on Trump, not Biden (who they already think is senile). They’re telling me they now don’t want to vote at all after seeing how nuts Trump is.

  378. 378.

    Kay

    @SoupCatcher:

    It’s not accurate. June 2nd. 

    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Sunday to ensure that President Joe Biden appears on Ohio’s ballot for the November general election.

    If they’re sticking with the accelerated schedule they’re doing it for reasons other than Biden not being on the ballot in Ohio.

    Too (you didn’t ask this but I keep reading it) it isn’t “4 months” to the election. Early vote is widespread and hugely popular. They estimate as many as 50% of voters will have cast a ballot before election day -early and mail vote begins as many as 45 days prior to election day.

  379. 379.

    BeautifulPlumage

    I stopped reading ~ # 200, but I thank (most) everyone for their constructive comments and also those who served up bakery treats.

    I watched the Detroit rally in full (the introduction was great) and have no doubt that the freakout is paid ratfucking. I’m even more convinced that Pres. Biden & V Pres. Harris are the right folks right now.

    I also appreciate their media exposure; and everyone who is getting the word out on Trump’s Project 25.

  381. 381.

    Suburban Mom

    @NotMax: Yes. In case no one else has already said this, the downside of all budget airlines is that they have virtually no backup capacity.  If the weather is great everywhere you will be fine.  If there is a storm somewhere or a maintenance issue, they won’t have another plane to fill the gap and you may be stuck for an extra day or more until they get you where you need to be.  If your schedule is flexible you’ll be fine (eventually).

  382. 382.

    Ruckus

    @Geminid:

    Well the news industry as a whole continues to tell everyone that SFB is polling slightly ahead of the president. Even for people that supported and voted for him, after seeing his results how does he have any support? I mean sure some will support him 1000% because he’s who he is, a “rich” white guy who they voted for once before. And he’s “rich” so he must know what he’s doing! (He got rich stealing his siblings inheritance from them – I mean he would have been wealthy either way but he got a lot more than he should have)

  384. 384.

    BR

    I am liking the idea that Biden will go full bore populist (real populist, not the fake populist title that the media likes to bestow upon right wingers). The donors are ditching him *and* Harris. He has no choice, but also it’s the best choice because the people vote, not donors.

  385. 385.

    Chris Johnson

    Note that, when we got working trolls up in this joint, the amount of plausibility they choose to go with is REALLY up to them.

    They can say 62% of all Americans want Biden to drop out

    They can say 85% of all Americans want Biden to drop out

    They can say 127% of all Americans want Biden to drop out

    If they’re MAKING IT THE FUCK UP it doesn’t matter WHAT they say, and if the New York Times is making it up like butter emails it doesn’t matter what the NYT says, once they’ve burned their bridges.

    Word to the wise.

    Just because people talk crap does not mean you need to rebut them and then have them acknowledge you’ve won the argument. If they are straight making shit the fuck up, that becomes impossible to do and you’ve used your energy unwisely, because some bystander might think it was a real argument instead of you playing with a troll.

  386. 386.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Renie: It depends on which postcard campaign you’re writing for. Some are for current special elections and need to be mailed immediately,  others are for the general election and don’t need mailing until the fall. The postcard organizations will give you the deadlines.

  387. 387.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Another Scott:

    I’m sure there are use cases for carefully curated LLMs to actually be helpful (e.g. using known good internal data).  Scraping the internet, consuming the electric power of a small country, and calling it “AI” is not one of them.

    Agreed. One of the AI projects I did was helping customers of a SaaS product quickly find answers to things they could fix via self-service rather than having to wait a day or two for a support person to get back to them.  (Mundane sys admin stuff.)

    Well-defined internal help content that an LLM could do a good job with. Plus it wasn’t like we were putting customers through automated voice-response hell. The prior status quo was that customers would need to file a support ticket and wait for someone to get back to them.

    Or try to find stuff in the help content. And yes, making that content better organized and easier to use is something that also needed to be done, but asking the AI was helpful when people weren’t sure what exactly the true problem was. I.e. it’s a lot easy to say “X isn’t working, halp!”

    Also, at any point in the interaction, customers could still open a ticket to have a human contact them. I.e. they weren’t forced to try out the suggested solutions first.

    Very different than slurping up the power grind to generate a single photo of a woman with seven fingers and five boobs

    I’m not sure Amazon’s “AI” summaries are all that helpful.  Most of the time I find reviews (especially of Chinese-sourced products) to be impossible to believe.

    Obviously garbage in, garbage out. But as I’ve said, I’ve found it useful for products that don’t have dubious reviews, everything from photo gear to cold packs. AI isn’t a replacement for critical thinking, and one reason I also skim reviews is to get a sense of whether they’re by real people who actually purchased the product. Same as I did pre-AI summaries to see if the distribution graph of ratings were bogus.

  388. 388.

    zhena gogolia

    I doubt they’ll print my comment on Sanders’s op-ed, but here’s the gist: Thank you, Senator Sanders, I agree with you completely. But judging from the comments, the readers have swallowed the propaganda of this now discredited newspaper.

  389. 389.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @guachi: Hey gaucho, did you ever get back to us with the name of the Congressperson who claimed that their office was getting 30:1 calls for Biden to quit? And maybe a link of the reporting on that? Sorry if I missed it in the previous thread.

  390. 390.

    Soprano2

    @Eyeroller: Yes they did, I saw it in real time. I think it was Axelrod who was texting John King his panic, based on nothing except intuition.

  395. 395.

    Soprano2

    @Jackie: So we have famous former Republican ratfucker Rick Wilson with a full-throated defense of Biden, while the O-Boys are telling the world on their podcast that every Democratic staffer and campaign person they’ve talked to says either Biden only has a narrow path to victory or can’t win now at all. They even claim that someone in the Biden campaign thanked them for what they’re saying because they think it’s true but no one around Biden wants to tell him that. What is this crazy world we’re living in

    ETA FWIW I don’t think the O Boys don’t like Biden, I think they’re truly terrified he can’t beat TCFG, but they can’t see how they’re contributing to the thing they fear.

  396. 396.

    Chris Johnson

    @O. Felix Culpa: The media has overplayed their hand.

    Not by accident. Putin’s desperate and it’s a desperation move. The media could have carried on being just as damaging, as they have back since ‘butter emails’, and they know where the line is.

    SOMEBODY isn’t happy with there being such a line, so what I’m smelling is the stink of marching orders. For some mysterious reason it’s all hands on deck, a suicide charge at taking out Joe Biden whilst hiding the shitshow that is Donald J. Trump.

    If he fucks up the RNC, and he will, I’m gonna laugh so hard. He’s gonna name Barron as his veep. You wait. Russia’s guy is the one who is really going down in flames, not Joe.

  399. 399.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @guachi: ​I don’t care about the feelings of primary voters. I really, really don’t.

    And I don’t give a flying fuck about you. The day you die in a fire is a day I will dance in the streets, you worthless arsehole.

  400. 400.

    BR

    @Chris Johnson:

    Nah, he’s going to be scripted at the RNC. Not much room for error. He’ll pretend to become “moderate” and we’ll hear about it ad nauseam. How it goes.

  403. 403.

    SoupCatcher

    Ah, found the other one after the edit window closed on my comment.  Link to the PDF is on the following page for the House Bill 2 under “Acts” (different from the one under “Legislation”).

    https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/135-special-session

    SECTION 1. (A) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary:
    (1) A major political party shall certify to the Secretary of State in writing the names of its
    candidates for president and vice-president nominated by its national convention pursuant to section
    3505.10 of the Revised Code not later than the sixty-fifth day before the 2024 general election.

    …

    So it took five days from the DNC announcing it would nominate Biden and Harris virtually (28 May) for Ohio Republicans to completely change course from saying they would print ballots without Biden and Harris to changing the deadline (2 June).  I wonder how easy it would be for them to change course again and revert.

  404. 404.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @different-church-lady: He is devil-adjacent, but right now he’s our (anti-Trump) devil-adjacent. Years ago I read his book, Everything Trump Touches Dies, which was quite good, in an effective political operative way.

  408. 408.

    Ruckus

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Joe Biden is the president for the people. You know the people that vote, who think money is nice but not the end of the world. You know the people that work for the people that are bad mouthing Joe Biden. The people that would shoot up money like heroin addicts if they thought it would make them richer.

  410. 410.

    Slightly_peeved

    @Eolirin:

    LLMs don’t fake human brains. We know enough about neurons to know that the neural networks used almost everywhere in AI work entirely differently. No evidence of backpropagation. Definitely no evidence of a clock tick.

    Spiking neural networks are an attempt to do processing based on how neurons actually work, though they’ve got a long way to go.

    The idea that we’ll be able to understand and automate everything given enough science is unfalsifiable, but AI/ML as it currently is won’t get you anywhere near six-sigma quality on any task. A statistical approach based on existing data sets gets you 95, maybe 99% of the way, but beyond that you need people. Getting AI to work at human standards on human problems without human intervention is an unsolved problem.

Comments are closed.