AI Is Trash, Even When used to Mock ICE

Folks, don't do this.

If you don't want to click - and it could turn into link rot anyway - it's a poorly-done AI video of ICE (a convenient target) assaulting a black man at a gas pump. As assaulters at gas pumps are won't, he's spraying gas all arvo, except none of it seems to hit or irritate ICE, or even puddle up on the ground at their feet.

Typical AI tells:

Garbled text.

While there's a little puddling of gasoline, there isn't nearly enough on the ground, given the amount of gas that speed forth.

At best the hose seems connected anywhere but the nearby pump, and at one point the hose connection is completely severed.

Neither ICE agent reacts to the gasoline at all. Trust someone who accidentally sucked some gas into his mouth when he was trying to drain a tank: Gasoline is not nice at all to eyes or mucous membranes.

ICE is doing completely despicable things. Using AI for clicks to ride on the anti-ICE bandwagon does not do anything to help.

Toilet, Soon

I didn't want to. Really didn't want to. But the only way this bathroom's gonna get done is if I do it.

Part of the reason: The very extended warm period we've been enjoying (40+ temps right up to Christmas) has faded, leaving us with a typical January, so the thought of using my wet saw left me, ha, cold.

Nevertheless, I did this earlier today:

The little trim pieces look like hell in this picture, but I've since cleaned them up so they look a bit better than this.

Was also lucky I was wearing my old pants:

Why even mention it? Because I've picked up my Dad's habit of just starting work no matter what clothes I'm wearing. Sometimes that means I have to clean my clothes, but since I was already in my grubbies, I don't have to get as stressed with my pants looking like this.

I should try to do a little bit more today, so I can get the sink and maybe the toilet put back in place next weekend. They've been missed.

"Why Don't You Take A Picture? It'll Last Longer!"

 

I usually sit in the same chair in the work conference room during staff meetings. Up until today, it had this tag on the bottom of it, and I'd reach under there to feel for the chair adjustments. Today, I ripped it off.

I got a real *bad* temper.

Boom Shanka

How it feels, writing letters to my elected representatives these days.

I try to remain civil. But it's getting harder.

Still, they need to hear when their constituents are angry. It's parf of the contract when you win public office. Especially when you're too chicken to hold town halls with the unwashed masses or have communications that try to control the narrative and solicit input in manipulative ways.

Anyway, here's the text:

Big Crane Update

Did a little digging this morning and found this particular site had been a point of discussion on a city Facebook group for some time.

I'm familiar with the group but looked at it from a distance as it's full of partisan kooks, NIMBY-ers and people who seem extraordinarily frightened of any apartment building projects in town.

Looks like this is going to be a three-story building with commercial on the first floor and residential on the upper floors, and is the first building to go up - aside from the nearby police station - as part of an urban renewal project in the area.

Pretty cool. Because this area is a little on the dumpy side.

It'll be fun to see this stubby little skyscraper go up.

Minding My Own Store

An important lesson from Brother Cadfael here.

Not that we shouldn't be worried about the outside world. But we have such a small chance of impacting the outside world in a meaningful way, we're always going to be better off trying to mind the little world we're in.

And I know I'm judgy, but whenever I hear people offering advice and I can see their own lives are a mess, I'm a lot less willing to listen to that advice.

So I'm trying harder to mind my own store.

That's A *Big* Crane . . .

As I drove my regular route to work this morning, I spotted this at a construction site at First and Lee:

This is at the site of a shuttered Mexican restaurant. I've watched the construction going to and from work, but seeing this huge construction crane there this morning was a surprise.

They've been in town, usually at hotel construction sites, which leads me to think this is going to be a more substantial building than I suspect.

I tried getting on the city's building permit website, but haven't succeeded in plumbing the depths yet. Also asked a local news organization if they know what's up.

New Computer

Getting a new computer is exciting.

Because as great as computers are, the age about as well as people do. The older they get, the more weird noises and tics they develop. They're also magnets for dust, snack crumbs, and in my case, a spider which got evicted.

But getting the new computer set up . . .

You have to log back in to your accounts. You have to figure out why the speakers that were working fine with the old computer don't work with the new one. You have to clean up all that dust and crumbs and spiders and you end up cleaning up a lot because you've neglected surfaces while you were working on your computer.

I'm glad I have my passwords saved electronically and also in print but even deciphering all that is a pain.

Also, you tell yourself that your old computer isn't all that old, until you're disconnecting cables and the connectors on one end of one of them disintegrate in your hands.

War Toys

Congressman Simpson,

Do not sit idly by while Trump and Hegseth play with their war toys. With this action in Venezuela - no matter the concocted reasons nor convoluted explanations or justifications - the United States appears as weak and thuggish as Russia does on the world stage.

If you cherish the Constitution as much as you say you do, clearly you see the unconstitutionality of these actions.

The world is in tumult at the moment. We should not add fuel to that fire. As we do so, we risk greater peril, not only for ourselves but for our allies. This action in Venezuela will certainly make that list of allies grow more thin.

I have little hope you'll do anything but cheer from the sidelines. Please know I will remember your inaction at the ballot box.

Brian Davidson

Sent this morning.

As usual, I'll post any response I get. Not that I have high hopes of getting anything beyond a rah rah rubber stamp for this action.

Starting the New Year with Kelpo