My Reality

Can the computer create something? At first glance it seems obvious that it can. Animated computer graphics, with their fluid transitions and whiplash perspectives, look strikingly new. And if one watches the machine doing animation work, there seem to be lengthy periods when the computer is acting “on its own.”

But if one observes these processes in more detail, it becomes clear that creation is not occurring within the machine. First of all, computer graphics are not unique. Computers have yet to generate anything that cannot be done by hand—and usually already has been done. Second, the apparent ability of the computer to “act on its own” is the outcome of thousands of hours of patient human effort to refine its instructions. The computer can manipulate a shape for us if we have already informed it what a shape is, what the rules for shape manipulation are, what this specific shape is, and so forth.

My name is Nadin. I never imagined I would write something like this. I’ve always been someone who kept her worries quiet, someone who believed that even the hardest days could be endured with patience and faith. But right now, I am reaching out — not because I want to, but because I need to.

I am a wife, a mother, and one of many women in Gaza trying to survive days that feel like they have no end. There was a short time — a brief ceasefire — where we thought things might start to heal. Where the sound of war faded for just long enough to let us breathe. But that moment is gone now, and the fear has returned louder than before.

My days are filled with uncertainty, and my nights with prayer. We have lost so much. Our home was damaged, our sense of safety taken from us. But through all of this, I try to keep going. I try to hold on to what little peace I can create with my hands, my words, and my love.

I am not asking for much. Just a little help to keep our lives from falling further apart. To fix the small things — a cracked wall, a leaking roof, the pieces of daily life that help us hold on to dignity.

This campaign isn’t just about survival. It’s about holding on to what makes us human in a place that keeps trying to take that away. It’s about showing my daughter — even though I won’t mention her name here — that the world didn’t forget us.

If you’ve ever felt powerless in the face of suffering, please know that even the smallest gesture can carry great meaning. A kind word. A shared post. A quiet donation. These things remind us that we’re not alone.

I am still here. Still holding on. Still believing that people out there — people like you — still care.

This is very dangerous for certain foods and if you live in the United States, I highly recommend that you keep track of this list: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/food-traceability-list

That is a (not fully comprehensive but useful) list of the high-risk foods for contamination and sickness that could result in serious harm or death. The broad strokes are cheeses, but especially soft cheeses, raw/fresh vegetables, pre-sliced fruit packages, ready to eat salads, chicken eggs, milk (bird flu), anything fermented like melons, and pet food, among others.

This is likely not a comprehensive list, so be sure to look things up yourself as well.

If you buy vegetables and plan to eat them, it is best to cook them to a safe temperature and wash their outsides well with water and light scrubbing instead of eating them raw. Treat it like chicken in that regard.

Make sure that the individual foods that you buy often are safe to eat or at risk, and adjust accordingly. This is a fundamental necessity that everyone here will need to follow. Testing is reduced or gone, and reporting on outbreaks will also likely be reduced or banned outright as well.

All you can do is stay safe, use your masks in public again, and make sure that you are clean as well as your food.

Attached below are more tips for vegetables, meat safety should be the same, just be more vigilant.

I love you all and don't want any of you hurt. Let's all support each other, thank you.

Here it is again. You might want to save it just in case an accident like that happens again

my understanding is that large language models basically construct statistically likely combinations of words based upon enormous, sprawling aggregations of statistical data drawn from basically all written text on the entire internet. I've read a million articles explaining how AI works and I never learn anything new from them.

ChatGPT has some extra bells and whistles tacked on--- it formats its responses like answers to a question, in a consistent "voice" that uses first-person pronouns. Its responses are directly pertinent to the input and don't deviate from it. It also pretty much exclusively produces text consistent with complete, communicative sentences in written or spoken language.

This is in contrast to InferKit, which would often spit out non-"communicative sentence" text: [Copyright 2009], lists of titles smushed together, text that might appear on buttons or links like [Next Page] or [Blog] or [Comments (5)], stuff like [image.jpg], timestamps, just gibberish HTML.

Here's the uncomfortable part. I see this some kind of politics-as-trends behavior a lot from people who think of themselves as politically aware and active. Your job, as someone who cares about politics, is to be absolutely solid in your own beliefs and where they come from. Be able to articulate your values and explain how they lead you to your positions. Be informed. That doesn't mean you'll never change your mind. You will, sometimes, on some things. But when you do change your mind, understand why you did it.

Not the first time

Not the first time