Is it me? Or did you put the wrong date on this one, Marque?
Here’s what I think about your piece on AI, whether you like it or not! 😂 My problem is I still don’t understand how it works. I think I would need to see it, but I’m not curious enough to go searching. Is there something on YouTube? Maybe this is what happens as people age, they feel as though they already have enough things on their plates. I’m pretty good at using software, but I’m not nearly as invested in being great at it, as I was when I was younger. A lot of it no longer serves a purpose for me. When I worked in an office, I loved playing around with my computer. Maybe that was because it was a lot more interesting than the majority of my coworkers! 😉
We finally got RAIN last night!!! Hopefully we’ll get more this weekend, although this is the big Cheese Days weekend, and that could put a damper on things. (My pun!) 🙄
If I’m not mistaken, it’s all pretty much in beta form anyway. Plus, it seems like we’re giving up more and more of ourselves. I was reading recently how important being able to write longhand is. It actually has a positive impact on the brain.
Glad it’s not just me! You probably have a lot going on, Lucy. This week isn’t too bad, but next week is a doozy! Mostly things I WANT to do, fortunately.
I enjoy using technology but don't need to be on the bleeding edge of early adoption. I understand the basics of how AI works but haven't figured out what it can do for me, other than some new features in the photo editing software I use. I'm content to casually watch AI application development until I see something that might benefit or be fun for me.
Thanks, Wilhelm. I have to admit that I don’t find myself caring. I feel as though I’m already on my phone (for me, it’s mostly my iPad) too much, and this just seems like another way to suck people in to spending more time that way.
I promised something about my trip to Rome. The office which creates these screwed up. Normally students go on these trips the summer after their sophomore year. One the classes they approved is taken by 95% of sophomores during their fall semester. So 95% of our target market is out for that one. we're gonna try to recruit freshmen, but who knows? The third faculty dropped out (IDK); so I asked them to replace the 3rd with a friend of mine who has done 20 of these trips, and is a hall of famer at them. My class and her class are both required of all business students, so we can market it as a way to open up their junior year schedule for classes in their major. With her on board, we'd get to maximum capacity for this program. She agreed to do it. Instead they went with a wackadoodle from the College of Arts and Sciences at UD. She's doing a class on immigration history. It was like pulling teeth to get her to state what graduation requirement it fulfills. She could have taught one required by all students, but she chose this elective. So chances of the program running have gone down quite a bit.
I knew something was up when I met her. She dominated the meetings, insisted on writing the marketing. Two weeks later I learned she refused to be site coordinator (so she wants to make all the decisions but not be responsible for them). Her marketing materials were awful. I re-wrote them, without telling her. When it came to scheduling, we're required to meet 37.5 hours. On overseas trips we can generally count 7-12 hours from field trips. Except we're historical trips, no ties to business, so I am doing 30 hours classroom time. The other business faculty is doing the same; she's doing 14 hours, and assigning readings.
On our second meeting she sent an email demanding to know what happened with a student this past summer (the student died while overseas, I'm not supposed to comment on it). There's a reason I'm not supposed to comment; whenever there is a tragedy, if UD fears any potential of a lawsuit, they treat it as if the lawsuit has been filed. She brought it up at the 2nd meeting, so I quickly shared university policy; how I plan to tell students I have not been briefed by UD, so I cannot make any comments. It turns out she knew the story, and wanted to gossip about it. And she wants to know what we're supposed to do about it. Well, we have a procedure for that, and she knows that...
Something I recommended that was a highlight the summer before was sending students to a cooking class. They're all over Rome and Florence (probably elsewhere), cost about 30-50 Euros, but you eat what you make, so it's kinda sorta a meal. Students loved it: they made some different pasta, actually making the noodles, letting them dry as they the prepped the rest of the meal.
Here's her response to that: And I quote
(2) That the organization AIFS is hiring is part of the slow food movement in some way (My students will be reading the Slow Food Manifesto put out in Rome in the mid 1980 when the first McDonald's was open there) and adhere to its tenets.
(2) That the people teaching the course are being paid a living wage
(3) That recipes are for the region we are in -- the two dishes I know best from Lazio are Caco e Pepe and Carciofi della Giuda. And, it would be fun to learn how to make them. But there are others, of course.
Those of you unfamiliar with the 2nd dish she mentions, it's deep-fried artichokes, aka "Jewish artichokes" (the Giuda references Jews). Telling students they're gonna cook artichokes as the main course isn't gonna sell well. Katie is planning on coming over, her best friend will too. They love the idea of a cooking class, and have no problem with a basic one. Although I did suggest the gelato making course. Of course I did. Katie is open to doing two of them!
Did I mention I'm halfway hoping the program doesn't run? My sense from what the wackadoodle has said is she wants long weekends for her to travel Italy; she's scamming it. The sad part is teaching just one course (and doing it right) still leaves plenty of time to sightsee, tour, etc. It feels almost like a scam (although I take it very serious and pour myself into teaching it).
Deep in my 3rd trimester before being reincarnated into a Supreme All Knowing Being, I understand the primary benefit of my 50+ years of self employment is not having to deal with that stuff.
Some folks are less enamored of AI and its future prospects than others. Ran across this essay in one of my other Substacks yesterday. It's looong. Too long to hold my interest in the subject, but other more devoted tech followers here might appreciate a chance to read it.
Below is the excerpted portion that caught my eye, and then the link to the complete essay.
BTW... If AI could be programmed to build character in people rather than characters online...
Oh, hell. Never mind.
3. AI Bust
Ed Zitron has been an AI bear for a while. In his latest essay, he makes the case for why the generative AI bubble may be popping, and what that would mean for the economy...
I believe that the artificial intelligence boom — which would be better described as a generative AI boom — is (as I've said before) unsustainable, and will ultimately collapse. I also fear that said collapse could be ruinous to big tech, deeply damaging to the startup ecosystem, and will further sour public support for the tech industry.
The reason I'm writing this today is that it feels like the tides are rapidly turning, and multiple pale horses of the AI apocalypse have emerged: “a big, stupid magic trick” in the form of OpenAI's (rushed) launch of its "o1 (codenamed: strawberry") model, rumored price increases for future OpenAI models (and elsewhere), layoffs at Scale AI, and leaders fleeing OpenAI. These are all signs that things are beginning to collapse. . . .
Whether Microsoft and Google (and the other big generative AI backers) slowly wind down their positions, or cannibalize their companies to keep OpenAI and Anthropic (as well as their own generative AI efforts) alive, I’m convinced that the end result will be the same. I fear tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs, and much of the tech industry will suffer . . .
As we speak, OpenAI — the ostensible non-profit that may soon become a for-profit — is currently raising a funding round at a valuation of at least $150 billion, and is expected to raise at least $6.5 billion — but potentially as much as $7 billion — led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, with rumored participation from both NVIDIA and Apple. As I've explained in agonizing detail in the past, OpenAI will have to continue to raise more money than any startup has ever raised in history, in perpetuity, to survive.
Worse still, OpenAI also is trying to raise $5 billion in debt from banks “in the form of a revolving credit facility” according to Bloomberg, and the terms on revolving credit facilities tend to have higher rates of interest.
The Information also reports that OpenAI is in talks with MGX, a $100 billion investment fund backed by the United Arab Emirates to invest primarily in AI and semiconductor companies, as well as potentially raising from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This should be the biggest warning sign that things are going poorly, because absolutely nobody raises from the UAE or Saudis because they want to. They’re the place you go if you need a lot of money and you’re not confident anybody else will give it to you.
Edit: Who knew that if you need a bunch of dough and you don't think the bank will give it to you that all you have to do is ring up the Saudis or the U.A.E.?
Wish I'd known that when I wanted to remodel my house.
Good morning. I've got a break from voter registrations today, which I needed. I'm going to ride my bike, walk the dog, read and goof off mostly. There may be alcohol this evening. I'm overdue.
The mother ship whacked us with something In the Zeitgeist that sounded like country and/or bluegrass with vocals by Tron.
We had an unexpected downpour Thursday night and of course I left my patio cushions uncovered! I didn’t get them out all summer and the one day I put them out, we had an unexpected thunderstorm!
The Times of Israel podcast is discussing the very interesting actions taken by unknown actors in Hezbollah-occupied Lebanon and what the actions might imply, stipulating that we really have no idea how this happened or who accomplished it.
The Israelis have been amazing! And, of course, we’re already complaining that they need to call a truce. And Hezbollah has the audacity to complain that Israel isn’t playing fair.
ETA: Overslept! Was nervous there’d be egregious bits in the post, since it was the raw and unedited first draft… The first sentence grated, though it sounded like palish humor when drafted. Otherwise a bit disjointed. Yeesh.
It’s fine! I appreciate the fact that you do this in the first place! If you’re referring to WalMart, don’t get me started; it’s a real love/hate thing with me.
So. A sushi post, eh? Well, you got the "Yeesh" part right, as that's my reaction to pretty much raw anything. I guess now I know why you "tend to chew on a subject" for a few days. Try cooking it for a change and it might go down a little bit easier.
Since you said you're gonna' be traveling, I hope you're not expecting us to down any gas station sushi. I'm drawin' the line at that.
What, you don't like gas station hot dogs?! How much more cooked can you get than a hot dog that's been under a heat lamp for 9 or 10 hours? Perfectly safe. Just drown a couple of 'em with ketchup and mustard to provide some flavor other than "shoe leather" and enjoy with a 32oz. beverage.
I slept in, too. It was after 5:30 when I finally got up. I'll go roust the youth in a few minutes. I suggested it to their other parent, but the hint whizzed right by him.
Afternoon, all. We're heading off on the science team campout and will see all of you around Sunday, evening.
Science in-tents-ificiation ftw!
Nice!
No, you won't. This is a podcast.
Have a good trip.
"Biden Promises Next Assassination Attempt Will Be By Woman Of Color".... Yes, I know. Very poor taste. Sometimes I can't help myself.
Gotta give him credit for being consistent.
Headline troll posts of the week... "Democratic Representative Tlaib Uninjured By Her Pager Explosion"....
"These remote circumcisions were more successful than expected." Tasteless is often the best. Don't judge me.
"My problem is I still don’t understand how it works." That is also the problem of the folks developing AI.
Is it me? Or did you put the wrong date on this one, Marque?
Here’s what I think about your piece on AI, whether you like it or not! 😂 My problem is I still don’t understand how it works. I think I would need to see it, but I’m not curious enough to go searching. Is there something on YouTube? Maybe this is what happens as people age, they feel as though they already have enough things on their plates. I’m pretty good at using software, but I’m not nearly as invested in being great at it, as I was when I was younger. A lot of it no longer serves a purpose for me. When I worked in an office, I loved playing around with my computer. Maybe that was because it was a lot more interesting than the majority of my coworkers! 😉
We finally got RAIN last night!!! Hopefully we’ll get more this weekend, although this is the big Cheese Days weekend, and that could put a damper on things. (My pun!) 🙄
I lost some hearing tonight listening to the FBI Nationals, oh my were they ever good! It was a ten person band with 4 horn players.
That sounds really good!!
Maybe I’m gonna just have to put a year on them, like “Anno Domini, 12-Chicken” or something like that…
No, just get the date right! You have a lot of people in the group who are retired, or close to it! 😂 We’re already confused!
😅
The stuff AI thinks it can do for me, I have reason to believe I can do a lot better myself.
If I’m not mistaken, it’s all pretty much in beta form anyway. Plus, it seems like we’re giving up more and more of ourselves. I was reading recently how important being able to write longhand is. It actually has a positive impact on the brain.
I find that taking notes by hand helps me remember stuff, even if I never look at the notes again. Others have told me they experience the same thing.
I saw Thursday, too, and was really confused for a moment. I have had trouble keeping track of the days recently. Sigh.
Glad it’s not just me! You probably have a lot going on, Lucy. This week isn’t too bad, but next week is a doozy! Mostly things I WANT to do, fortunately.
I enjoy using technology but don't need to be on the bleeding edge of early adoption. I understand the basics of how AI works but haven't figured out what it can do for me, other than some new features in the photo editing software I use. I'm content to casually watch AI application development until I see something that might benefit or be fun for me.
Take a look at this video, Anne. It's a start...
https://youtu.be/vsLsU-BXDOg?si=of0hEovSOUtuPJ6k
Thanks, Wilhelm. I have to admit that I don’t find myself caring. I feel as though I’m already on my phone (for me, it’s mostly my iPad) too much, and this just seems like another way to suck people in to spending more time that way.
Me too.
I promised something about my trip to Rome. The office which creates these screwed up. Normally students go on these trips the summer after their sophomore year. One the classes they approved is taken by 95% of sophomores during their fall semester. So 95% of our target market is out for that one. we're gonna try to recruit freshmen, but who knows? The third faculty dropped out (IDK); so I asked them to replace the 3rd with a friend of mine who has done 20 of these trips, and is a hall of famer at them. My class and her class are both required of all business students, so we can market it as a way to open up their junior year schedule for classes in their major. With her on board, we'd get to maximum capacity for this program. She agreed to do it. Instead they went with a wackadoodle from the College of Arts and Sciences at UD. She's doing a class on immigration history. It was like pulling teeth to get her to state what graduation requirement it fulfills. She could have taught one required by all students, but she chose this elective. So chances of the program running have gone down quite a bit.
I knew something was up when I met her. She dominated the meetings, insisted on writing the marketing. Two weeks later I learned she refused to be site coordinator (so she wants to make all the decisions but not be responsible for them). Her marketing materials were awful. I re-wrote them, without telling her. When it came to scheduling, we're required to meet 37.5 hours. On overseas trips we can generally count 7-12 hours from field trips. Except we're historical trips, no ties to business, so I am doing 30 hours classroom time. The other business faculty is doing the same; she's doing 14 hours, and assigning readings.
On our second meeting she sent an email demanding to know what happened with a student this past summer (the student died while overseas, I'm not supposed to comment on it). There's a reason I'm not supposed to comment; whenever there is a tragedy, if UD fears any potential of a lawsuit, they treat it as if the lawsuit has been filed. She brought it up at the 2nd meeting, so I quickly shared university policy; how I plan to tell students I have not been briefed by UD, so I cannot make any comments. It turns out she knew the story, and wanted to gossip about it. And she wants to know what we're supposed to do about it. Well, we have a procedure for that, and she knows that...
Something I recommended that was a highlight the summer before was sending students to a cooking class. They're all over Rome and Florence (probably elsewhere), cost about 30-50 Euros, but you eat what you make, so it's kinda sorta a meal. Students loved it: they made some different pasta, actually making the noodles, letting them dry as they the prepped the rest of the meal.
Here's her response to that: And I quote
(2) That the organization AIFS is hiring is part of the slow food movement in some way (My students will be reading the Slow Food Manifesto put out in Rome in the mid 1980 when the first McDonald's was open there) and adhere to its tenets.
(2) That the people teaching the course are being paid a living wage
(3) That recipes are for the region we are in -- the two dishes I know best from Lazio are Caco e Pepe and Carciofi della Giuda. And, it would be fun to learn how to make them. But there are others, of course.
Those of you unfamiliar with the 2nd dish she mentions, it's deep-fried artichokes, aka "Jewish artichokes" (the Giuda references Jews). Telling students they're gonna cook artichokes as the main course isn't gonna sell well. Katie is planning on coming over, her best friend will too. They love the idea of a cooking class, and have no problem with a basic one. Although I did suggest the gelato making course. Of course I did. Katie is open to doing two of them!
Did I mention I'm halfway hoping the program doesn't run? My sense from what the wackadoodle has said is she wants long weekends for her to travel Italy; she's scamming it. The sad part is teaching just one course (and doing it right) still leaves plenty of time to sightsee, tour, etc. It feels almost like a scam (although I take it very serious and pour myself into teaching it).
Something about that reinforces my satisfaction at being a college dropout. It must be very hard dealing with that tripe.
She sounds awful, Jay.
It all sounds very challenging. On reading such tales, I feel better about not having a Real Job With Pay.
Deep in my 3rd trimester before being reincarnated into a Supreme All Knowing Being, I understand the primary benefit of my 50+ years of self employment is not having to deal with that stuff.
Some folks are less enamored of AI and its future prospects than others. Ran across this essay in one of my other Substacks yesterday. It's looong. Too long to hold my interest in the subject, but other more devoted tech followers here might appreciate a chance to read it.
Below is the excerpted portion that caught my eye, and then the link to the complete essay.
BTW... If AI could be programmed to build character in people rather than characters online...
Oh, hell. Never mind.
3. AI Bust
Ed Zitron has been an AI bear for a while. In his latest essay, he makes the case for why the generative AI bubble may be popping, and what that would mean for the economy...
I believe that the artificial intelligence boom — which would be better described as a generative AI boom — is (as I've said before) unsustainable, and will ultimately collapse. I also fear that said collapse could be ruinous to big tech, deeply damaging to the startup ecosystem, and will further sour public support for the tech industry.
The reason I'm writing this today is that it feels like the tides are rapidly turning, and multiple pale horses of the AI apocalypse have emerged: “a big, stupid magic trick” in the form of OpenAI's (rushed) launch of its "o1 (codenamed: strawberry") model, rumored price increases for future OpenAI models (and elsewhere), layoffs at Scale AI, and leaders fleeing OpenAI. These are all signs that things are beginning to collapse. . . .
Whether Microsoft and Google (and the other big generative AI backers) slowly wind down their positions, or cannibalize their companies to keep OpenAI and Anthropic (as well as their own generative AI efforts) alive, I’m convinced that the end result will be the same. I fear tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs, and much of the tech industry will suffer . . .
As we speak, OpenAI — the ostensible non-profit that may soon become a for-profit — is currently raising a funding round at a valuation of at least $150 billion, and is expected to raise at least $6.5 billion — but potentially as much as $7 billion — led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, with rumored participation from both NVIDIA and Apple. As I've explained in agonizing detail in the past, OpenAI will have to continue to raise more money than any startup has ever raised in history, in perpetuity, to survive.
Worse still, OpenAI also is trying to raise $5 billion in debt from banks “in the form of a revolving credit facility” according to Bloomberg, and the terms on revolving credit facilities tend to have higher rates of interest.
The Information also reports that OpenAI is in talks with MGX, a $100 billion investment fund backed by the United Arab Emirates to invest primarily in AI and semiconductor companies, as well as potentially raising from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This should be the biggest warning sign that things are going poorly, because absolutely nobody raises from the UAE or Saudis because they want to. They’re the place you go if you need a lot of money and you’re not confident anybody else will give it to you.
https://www.wheresyoured.at/subprimeai/
Edit: Who knew that if you need a bunch of dough and you don't think the bank will give it to you that all you have to do is ring up the Saudis or the U.A.E.?
Wish I'd known that when I wanted to remodel my house.
Another form of crypto currency?
Good morning. I've got a break from voter registrations today, which I needed. I'm going to ride my bike, walk the dog, read and goof off mostly. There may be alcohol this evening. I'm overdue.
The mother ship whacked us with something In the Zeitgeist that sounded like country and/or bluegrass with vocals by Tron.
Nope. Just nope.
Try this from Twisted Pine instead:
https://youtu.be/fzgwiPYna1U?si=mTwjQu_6T0sqnWXX
Very musicious.
Good performance.
I didn’t listen for long, but they’re great!!
Good morning. They were might get rain next week. Not today. Crops are browning in the fields.
The mothership reports on the exploding Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon.
We had an unexpected downpour Thursday night and of course I left my patio cushions uncovered! I didn’t get them out all summer and the one day I put them out, we had an unexpected thunderstorm!
Who knew innovations in ring tones would go so far?
The Times of Israel podcast is discussing the very interesting actions taken by unknown actors in Hezbollah-occupied Lebanon and what the actions might imply, stipulating that we really have no idea how this happened or who accomplished it.
The Israelis have been amazing! And, of course, we’re already complaining that they need to call a truce. And Hezbollah has the audacity to complain that Israel isn’t playing fair.
"It's not fair that you're so much better at this war stuff than we are!"
😫
Suuure we don't. 😉😉
Good morning.
Are you sure it's good? Maybe we should take a poll, see what others think, the country being so polarized these days and all.
Edit: Good morning, Cynthia.
Morning.
ETA: Overslept! Was nervous there’d be egregious bits in the post, since it was the raw and unedited first draft… The first sentence grated, though it sounded like palish humor when drafted. Otherwise a bit disjointed. Yeesh.
Now I have to got to Wal-Land.
It’s fine! I appreciate the fact that you do this in the first place! If you’re referring to WalMart, don’t get me started; it’s a real love/hate thing with me.
"raw and unedited"
So. A sushi post, eh? Well, you got the "Yeesh" part right, as that's my reaction to pretty much raw anything. I guess now I know why you "tend to chew on a subject" for a few days. Try cooking it for a change and it might go down a little bit easier.
Since you said you're gonna' be traveling, I hope you're not expecting us to down any gas station sushi. I'm drawin' the line at that.
Gas station sushi...expand to include any food from a gas station that's not beef jerky....
What, you don't like gas station hot dogs?! How much more cooked can you get than a hot dog that's been under a heat lamp for 9 or 10 hours? Perfectly safe. Just drown a couple of 'em with ketchup and mustard to provide some flavor other than "shoe leather" and enjoy with a 32oz. beverage.
Wholesome, casual dining at its best!!
Any microbes that could survive that environment you’d rather have as friends than enemies!
I slept in, too. It was after 5:30 when I finally got up. I'll go roust the youth in a few minutes. I suggested it to their other parent, but the hint whizzed right by him.
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
-- Paul Simon
So true. Great writer, that Paul Simon.