Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Major Major Major Major, aka J. Tynan Burke, has written at Balloon Juice since 2018. He focuses on science, technology, and fiction. Learn more at www.tynanburke.com
What a day! What a week! I don’t have anything intelligible to say about *gestures*, so here’s a respite thread where we can say things about other stuff. Like how nice it might be to be a cat:
Bonus Samwise below the fold… and keep in mind this here is a RESPITE thread!
Greetings from the Barcelona airport, where I feel guilty for only knowing some German and Italian. Meanwhile, this fucking guy…
When I was in high school, I was taught that traveling internationally made you an ambassador for your country. I honestly can’t say whether he learned the same. He’s certainly being accurate enough, though the stripes should probably be red.
They didn’t let him into the lounge on what sounded like a made-up technicality.
Newly-released government photographs show unquestionable proof that an alien flying saucer crash-landed in the desert:
Mind you, the desert in question is Isidis Planitia on Mars, and the flying saucer is ours…
This image of Perseverance’s backshell sitting upright on the surface of Jezero Crater was collected from an altitude of 26 feet (8 meters) by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 26th flight at Mars on April 19, 2022. Engineers working on the Mars Sample Return program requested images be taken from an aerial perspective of the components because they may provide insight into the components’ performance during the rover’s entry, descent, and landing on Feb. 18, 2021.
Space robots are cool, and we should do more of them. I get the romance of manned space travel but we have a lot to sort out before it’ll be anything other than a one-way ticket to Tumor Town, and in the meantime, there’s stuff to explore. Just as soon as we sort out nuclear propulsion…
Consider this a lunch-ish-time open thread.
Open Thread: Proof of Alien Flying SaucersPost + Comments (108)
I wrote about text-to-image AIs here last summer. Well, the latest bleeding-edge model is out; it is way more interesting, so I thought I’d drop an update.
It’s called DALL-E 2, and it’s made by OpenAI, which also produces the GPT text generation AIs I’ve written about. They’ve given early access to a bunch of people who have been posting the results on Twitter. It’s not super surprising that the shared images are impressive; AI enthusiasts aren’t going to be sharing the failures, which I assume are frequent. Still–the successes are very, very successful.
Here’s one, and then we can move below the fold so the blog doesn’t drown in tweets.
As we lead up to #MicrosoftBuild, I’m getting excited with “30 days of DALL-E 2”! Send me your (respectful) prompts, and every day from April 24-May 24, I’ll post an AI-generated #dalle2 image. #30DaysOfDalle2
“Oil painting of a sad girl looking out the window of a school bus” pic.twitter.com/NApsb1kOmi
— Jennifer Marsman (@jennifermarsman) April 22, 2022
OpenAI’s Latest Image Generator is Pretty Damn ImpressivePost + Comments (70)
…no, the headline isn’t about me, even if I’ve been a bit of a couch potato lately. Get a load of this guy:
No real updates here at chez Major. Just been playing a lot of Elden Ring. I hadn’t played a From Software game before, mostly because I didn’t like the aesthetic, and I still don’t, but boy is the actual gameplay a real blast. It’s making me wish Breath of the Wild 2 would come out already.
Oh, and I’m doing the latest “expedition” in No Man’s sky. Super fun! I wish there were a few more player bases, though. There were a bunch on the first planet—I found one giving away free copper with big refiners you could use—but people aren’t settling down much elsewhere so far.
What’s been on all your TVs lately?
Looks like we could use a fresh thread.
I saw this video this morning, and now you all get to as well. It’s been nourishing me all day.
Happy #StPatricksDay from us at Muppet History! We’re obligated to share this clip every year!
Hope you all have a fun (and safe) day! pic.twitter.com/5hTEZFRSar
— Muppet History (@HistoryMuppet) March 17, 2022
Damned if I don’t tear up a little bit even though it’s complete gibberish.
Open thread!
St. Patrick’s Open Thread: O Muppet BoyPost + Comments (125)
My ability to read the news has suffered a lot this week. Not surprising, considering what’s in it. But that’s okay, because I’m an adult, which means I can play video games and watch TV whenever I want!
I’m positively drowning in good video games. Most recently I picked up Horizon Forbidden West, which I’d been waiting for for years. I absolutely loved the first game, which I got following a recommendation from one of you, so, thanks for that, whoever you were. Hoping this one ascends to similar heights.
TV-wise, Archive 81 on Netflix is pretty fun, if you’re into horror. A little ludicrous at times but it doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. I wish I had some lighter fare to watch, though. I burned through all my sitcoms, including a rewatch of 30 Rock, which holds up great. So if anybody has suggestions…
Lastly, it’s finally time for me to put in a plug for a short story of mine. This was published in November but I wanted to give it a little space and then confirm that I don’t hate it. Good news: I don’t. So if you’re in the mood for some fantasy, feel free to check it out. The Unlucky Few Who Must Not Cast tells the story of a youngish mage being forced to attend twelve-step meetings for magic dependence.
Samwise, by the way, is doing great.
I just love his little pillow. As does he.
Consider this an open thread for non-news discussion!
Respite, Recommendations, & Shameless Self-PromotionPost + Comments (74)
