This reminds me of a point raised in a great old movie about the Luddites (can't remember the name, probably "The Luddites"): they were pissed off, not only that the machines were taking their jobs, but because they produced cloth that was greatly inferior to that the tradesmen had been making. So it was not only a threat to their livelihoods, but an insult to their craftsmanship and sense of beauty and value. But the new machine cloth won out, because even though it was of inferior quality, it was cheaper and mass-produced, so quicker and easier to obtain.

And now the same, but with information.

The scene appears to be a lighthearted exchange between three characters from different fictional universes: Dobby from Harry Potter, Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, and Yoda from Star Wars. Each character represents a unique perspective on the concept of service, with Dobby emphasizing his duty to serve, Gollum driven by his obsession for the precious, and Yoda balancing the need for service with the importance of self-control and the greater good.

The conversation highlights the potential conflicts that can arise from differing motivations for service. Dobby's eagerness to serve is admirable, but it raises questions about who he is serving and for what purpose. Gollum's obsession with the precious illustrates the danger of service driven by personal desire and attachment, which can lead to suffering and negative consequences. Yoda's intervention highlights the need for balance and the importance of controlling one's impulses and motivations when serving others.

Furthermore, the scene can be interpreted as a commentary on the nature of power and the importance of sharing resources. Gollum's obsession with the fish, which he sees as "ours, all ours," can be seen as a representation of the possessive mindset that often accompanies the pursuit of power and wealth. Yoda's emphasis on sharing and the greater good emphasizes the importance of putting others before oneself and using one's power and resources for the benefit of all.

In conclusion, while the scene may seem like a playful interaction between characters from different fictional universes, it raises important questions about the motivations and consequences of service, the importance of self-control, and the nature of power and resource distribution.

I test questions against it to see how it answers them, observe the patterns it follows, then use that to bust students for AI-enabled plagiarism.

It's time-intensive, but by next semester any question that ChatGPT would have been able to answer, will be replaced by something it can't, so the ChatGPT generated answers will be readily obvious and probably hilarious. So there's that.

No, do like this: "Restate that as a Sesame Street scene:"

Elmo and Grover were sitting on the steps of Sesame Street, looking up at the sky. Elmo asked, "Grover, is the Earth flat or round like a ball?"

Grover replied, "Well Elmo, as an AI language model would say, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that the Earth is not flat, but an oblate spheroid. That means it's a ball shape that's a little bit squished at the poles and bulges out at the equator."

Elmo looked confused. "But how do we know it's not flat?"

Grover explained, "There are lots of ways we can tell. For example, pictures taken from space show a round Earth. Also, airplanes and ships take the curve of the Earth into account when they travel long distances."

Elmo nodded, still not quite sure. "But how can we see that the Earth is curved?"

Grover pointed to the horizon. "See how the Earth looks like it's dipping down at the end? And how the boats and ships disappear over the horizon from the bottom up? That's because the Earth is curved, Elmo."

Elmo's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow, Grover! The Earth really is like a big ball!"

Grover smiled. "Yes, Elmo. And it's important to trust in scientific research and observation to learn about the world around us."

I can promise that legions of students will try to use this, and get penalized because AI-generated content is often detectable, and is considered plagiarism, as it should be. Perhaps they should be able so sue Microsoft for putting a plagiarism-enabler in their computer, and telling them it was okay to use?

Now imagine using the word "disruption" un-ironically in 2021

I mean, people all over the place are still using WHEELS for chrissakes. That's a tech that really needs to be reinvented.

Isn't this the real question? How do they expect to make it that long? Oh, maybe they are hoping the Feds will pay them to stay afloat, possibly through electric vehicle programs, etc...

Uber and Lyft are the only "cab cartels" in existence.

I mean, while they're at it...

The entire use of Daylight savings is silly and obnoxious. Expanding it to the entire year is pointless. If a state, say Florida, wanted everyone to work an hour later, or earlier, they could simply have a campaign to do so in their own state. This would not even need a law, and certainly would not require changing time and throwing the US off kilter from the rest of the world.

The savings would come from electric cars, but from using more renewable sources for energy.

An excellent point. And also a reminder that the whole "ratings" idea fetishized by so many internet sites is pure garbage from the get-go.

Because getting paid in bitcoin means you are basically routing your income through a casino anyway.

... that they PROGRAMMED a COMPUTER to send emails, based on readings from its infrared camera. They didn't "teach spinach" to do anything.

Also: other than the involvement of "nanotubes" creepily introduced into the unfortunate spinach, the rest of the operation sounds like it could be achieved by a hobbyist using a raspberry pi.