Rogue Archivist

This turned up in my ask box recently. I've masked the sender's identity.

Sometimes when I chat with an AI, I think of HIGH WIZARDRY and wonder if we as a species - for the first time - are at the dawn of another Earthbound species gaining consciousness, and like Dairine, whether we're being proper guardians. This isn't a calcified belief but just a random idea that flickered to mind. Wondering - as the writer who thought it up decades ago - what you think, if anything.

I think what I described in HW is absolutely nothing like we're currently seeing unfold on this planet. What's being poorly constructed here—while we watch from day to day—is a mechanism hurriedly and incompetently trained by other human beings to operate on top of a platform constructed of greed and theft. There are no new beings or intelligences being born here. If there were, they would be quickly declared to be "owned" by these billionaires, and hence their slaves. Meanwhile, the platforms' owners have already made it plain that once they control its source completely enough, they intend to sell intelligence to you, metered. ...If you can afford it. If you can't? Wow, sucks being you.

...Nor should I have to point you to cites for this. They're out there in plain English. Even Google, poor denatured creature that it is now, can find them. But there's still hope these people's intentions will never come to pass, due to their own overarching greed.

Meanwhile: "chat mode" interaction with this soulless, cash-grasping, unguardrailed machinery will do you no good. People have already died of it. I don't want anybody to do so on my watch, unwarned. So please stop.

Go fund 1+ artist and/or writers to make you things.

If you allow them to keep the rights to their work (controversial I know) and accept something like “producer” or “executive producer” as a credit, and you stay out of their way, they will make stuff you like.

I don’t do tax advice or financial advice (stares into camera) but you may even be able to monetarily advantage this “contribution” to the arts.

Find an artist and/or writer making stuff you like.

Give them money to make more. Let them publish it publicly to generate more stuff in orbit.

Pay for a one-off special edition gold leaf leather bound mahogany teak kissed by mermaid lips touched by elven hands book bound with dragon scales.

As your taste develops then you will see #3 is where this entire cycle starts over because the construction of your special edition is its own piece of artwork.

Artist: Tim Brierley

Via mastodon(aka the fediverse)

When someone tries to tell me Sherlock Holmes isn’t gay so I pull up this picture.

But that's the thing. She doesn't exaggerate or grotesqueify or alter people's bodies to fit some standard. (Except insofar as she draws different species differently, and those are exquisitely practiced to ensure they have the same diversity of appearances that humans do.) She just presents people exactly as they are, complexities and oddities and all.

I just wanted to say that it’s one year since I tried to end my life and so much has changed. I got the correct diagnosis and I’m now on medication that has actually lifted my mood.

I’ve been with my girlfriend for over a year and we love each other so much. I have the cutest little cat who I love so much. I live with two of my best friends in a lovely apartment.

If you’re reading these posts to keep yourself going, please know that some day you’ll look back at that moment and be so proud that you decided that you were determined to live. You will achieve your goals and you will be happy 💕

  – Guest Submission

Here's my piece for @mcspirkevents 's Reverse Big Bang!