I gotta say, that's a much better and more interesting and informative response than "fuck off". See, you can really do it when you try! Please attempt to continue to be civil.
So, to continue then: If you agree that this is a good thing that should be done, are there any steps you can take to move it along?
Would you like another suggestion, or at least something to think about? Remember, all of this is pretty much just off of the top of my head based on what I read about what's going on in your country.
A lot of folks seem to live in a self-reinforcing echo chamber and are never exposed to a competing view or what you might call the "real world". What is the origin of this? Your education system? Media capture? Something else?
Whatever it is (and I genuinely don't know), is there anything you can do to expose people to a wider range of viewpoints and maybe show them how things really work? I know it's tough to do when you're talking to a 40-something redneck in a backwoods bar, but maybe there's a less extreme "mushy middle" that would be receptive to a genuine dialog?
I've said here before that I always had a positive view of the USA, pre-Donald Trump. He (and his henchmen) have managed to destroy that reputation in my eyes and in the eyes of most of the people who I associate with on a daily basis. It's a damn shame and I really, sincerely, hope you can fix it.
My grandmother used to tell me that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and three minutes to destroy it.
Okey dokey.
So where are the citizen's committees and the petitions and the demonstrations and the overwhelming push by the public to get this done?
"We introduced a bill, it was defeated, I guess we're done now" isn't a great response when the future of your entire country appears to be at stake.
Again, I don't believe it's my place or my job to fix your country.
However, if you seriously want a suggestion that may even be actionable (and if you're not going to have another toddler tantrum), my first recommendation is that you should form citizen's committees or whatever it takes (petitions?) to ban gerrymandering and establish term limits for your senators and representatives.
Voting districts should be established solely on the basis of the distribution of population, and no representative should serve a term of more than, say, ten years. That gives enough time for the representative to learn the job and understand the issues without allowing "being a politician" to become a career.
What tangible results have you seen from the actions so far?
I don't live there so I'll admit that maybe there's something going on that I don't know about.
But from where I sit, I haven't seen anything change in your country other than for the worse.
What tangible results have you seen from the actions taken so far?
Based on the answer to the first question, do you think further actions are required?
Again, it's your country and it's up to you to fix it. "Outsiders" like me can't do it for you.
And when you can't win an argument or don't understand how to debate a point, you regress to being about three years old and hurl insults, invective and profanity.
Ok. Got it.
Can't say I understand it, but now I know what to expect from you in the future.
Frankly, no I haven't.
I don't understand why, when I raise what seem to me to be legitimate questions, your response is juvenile insults and profanity instead of addressing any of the points that I make. Do you consider that a rational and reasonable way to engage in a debate? "I know how to swear, so that means I win?"
What I've asked here over and over again, with no reasonable response ever received, is what has happened to the United States? For decades I've been hearing "Live free or die", "Shining city on the hill", "Land of the free" and on and on. But now, when you have literal masked secret police kidnapping people off of your streets, by and large everyone's response is... crickets?
Where is the public outrage? Where are the immediate removals of the obviously unfit and unqualified from office? Where are the trials for treason against your country's interest, not to mention stuff like insider trading and profiteering?
Was all of that earlier sloganeering just that? Empty slogans that never actually meant anything?
The major problem facing the world at the moment is what Donald Trump is doing to your country. People outside of your country can't fix it for you since you would object to that and it wouldn't work anyway. (Ask the Iranians how that whole regime change thing is working out for them.)
So... where's the action? When were you planning to start fixing things for yourselves?
Actually, I post under my real name.
How about you?
Why are you posting under a pseudonym? Are you that ashamed of what you say here?
(Actually, you probably should be ashamed, calling people ignorant names when you are unable to grapple with or possibly lack understanding of actual facts and real opinions.)
It's your country, you are a citizen of your country and it's generally agreed that your country is descending into fascism (if it hasn't already arrived).
So what action have you, personally, taken to fix your country? And no, posting comments on techdirt anonymously and under a pseudonym doesn't count.
Have you voted? Have you personally run for office and/or taken concrete steps to support someone "sane" who is running for office by, I don't' know, handing out flyers, posting lawn signs, answering questions from prospective supporters who call in...?
Have you contacted your elected officials and provided your input and perspective? Have you volunteered with any civic organizations that may be able to influence your government?
Etc.
And the proverbial "ugly American" is heard from again.
It's truly sad what has happened to your country.
I sincerely hope you can fix it sometime, but I also hate to see you flushing the rest of the world down the drain along with you.
Do you enjoy demonstrating your brainlessness for all to see?
"Fuck yourself" is a last refuge taken idiots and incompetents who are incapable of handling a rational argument based on facts.
Furthermore, if Trump is getting elected by exploiting your system, then it's on you to fix your system to prevent it.
You've only had 250 years to do that.
Until then, as I said, you're welcome to enjoy the fruits of what you have voted for. The really unfortunate part is the spillover to the rest of the world.
I'm not American and if all of the things that Trump and his circus clowns were just contained to and affected only the USA I would just be sitting back and saying, "You voted for this (twice, no less) so please continue to enjoy everything that you voted for."
But this measles oubreak, and the Iran stuff, international trade, defense, and so many other things are being broken by a toddler who doesn't understand what it is that he's breaking.
If someone had come along in 2010 and prophesied that this would happen fifteen years later everyone would have written that prophet off as a crank.
I guess this (on top of the Covid fiasco) demonstrates the fragility of modern society and civilization.
Everything works fine, right up to the point that it doesn't.
I don't know if there is a way to shore it up and make the world's operating principles more robust but if there is then it's well past time to start working on that.
On the contrary, you're making a shaky assumption that the person involved is not "average".
There was nothing said about this fellow being a lawyer or someone occupying any kind of an official position.
"If you walked into my office..." tells you nothing other than that he has an office.
In the context of his post, the most likely conclusion is that he's referring to a department manager's office in a computer sales shop, not a police station.
You've spent far too much time reading crime novels.
No average person is going to run (and pay for) their own private investigators and investigation when they are handed potential evidence of a crime.
Their most likely course of action will be to contact the relevant authorities and say, "I've got this evidence here" and turn it over the the professionals.
"When the boss tells you “use this or lose your job”, chances are good that you’ll use the AI instead of risking your paycheck."
Yeah, that's the same position as anyone who gets told to use a particular widget of any kind to do his job, not just AI-assisted stuff.
If said widget is not an effective tool, either the directive will change or the company will evolve somehow to account for that inefficiency (or not).
"would the use of the likenesses of, say, Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. be morally and ethically acceptable even (and especially) if they never gave their approval to have their likeness used that way?"
What is your position on Elvis impersonators, and "tribute bands" in general?
"Writing a book of any kind both is and isn’t as easy as “put one word in front of another”; if you understand why I say that, you’re already one step closer to being more of an artist than your average AI slop enthusiast."
Interesting that you mention that because I am, in fact and in real life, an author. Though I don't write books, at least not so far, I just do stories and "novelettes".
I suppose my examples would have been better if I had asked if you need to know how to tune an engine in order to be a race car driver, or how to butcher a cow to be a chef.
I guess I really don't know enough about how this AI stuff really works, and I've never been sufficiently interested in the subject to make any particular effort to understand it.
Yeah, I'm an old coot -- so what do you expect? :)
But I do find the debate around it interesting and the variance in perspectives is intriguing.
"they don’t really work that well for most of the use cases their advocates are presenting."
If that is truly the case then the whole thing will blow over and become irrelevant in a short period of time.
If a tool manufacturer was producing wrenches that broke every second time you tried to loosen a bolt, people would soon start buying their wrenches elsewhere.
Same thing here. If you're using the wrong tool or an inferior tool for your job, then you're in the position of the guy who went to the doctor and said, "It hurts when I do this."
Answer: Don't do that.
Sigh... That didn't last long. Oh well. By all means, please continue to demonstrate your foolishness and ignorance for all to observe.
I gotta say, that's a much better and more interesting and informative response than "fuck off". See, you can really do it when you try! Please attempt to continue to be civil. So, to continue then: If you agree that this is a good thing that should be done, are there any steps you can take to move it along? Would you like another suggestion, or at least something to think about? Remember, all of this is pretty much just off of the top of my head based on what I read about what's going on in your country. A lot of folks seem to live in a self-reinforcing echo chamber and are never exposed to a competing view or what you might call the "real world". What is the origin of this? Your education system? Media capture? Something else? Whatever it is (and I genuinely don't know), is there anything you can do to expose people to a wider range of viewpoints and maybe show them how things really work? I know it's tough to do when you're talking to a 40-something redneck in a backwoods bar, but maybe there's a less extreme "mushy middle" that would be receptive to a genuine dialog? I've said here before that I always had a positive view of the USA, pre-Donald Trump. He (and his henchmen) have managed to destroy that reputation in my eyes and in the eyes of most of the people who I associate with on a daily basis. It's a damn shame and I really, sincerely, hope you can fix it. My grandmother used to tell me that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and three minutes to destroy it.
Okey dokey. So where are the citizen's committees and the petitions and the demonstrations and the overwhelming push by the public to get this done? "We introduced a bill, it was defeated, I guess we're done now" isn't a great response when the future of your entire country appears to be at stake.
Again, I don't believe it's my place or my job to fix your country. However, if you seriously want a suggestion that may even be actionable (and if you're not going to have another toddler tantrum), my first recommendation is that you should form citizen's committees or whatever it takes (petitions?) to ban gerrymandering and establish term limits for your senators and representatives. Voting districts should be established solely on the basis of the distribution of population, and no representative should serve a term of more than, say, ten years. That gives enough time for the representative to learn the job and understand the issues without allowing "being a politician" to become a career.
What tangible results have you seen from the actions so far? I don't live there so I'll admit that maybe there's something going on that I don't know about. But from where I sit, I haven't seen anything change in your country other than for the worse.
What tangible results have you seen from the actions taken so far? Based on the answer to the first question, do you think further actions are required? Again, it's your country and it's up to you to fix it. "Outsiders" like me can't do it for you.
And when you can't win an argument or don't understand how to debate a point, you regress to being about three years old and hurl insults, invective and profanity. Ok. Got it. Can't say I understand it, but now I know what to expect from you in the future.
Frankly, no I haven't. I don't understand why, when I raise what seem to me to be legitimate questions, your response is juvenile insults and profanity instead of addressing any of the points that I make. Do you consider that a rational and reasonable way to engage in a debate? "I know how to swear, so that means I win?" What I've asked here over and over again, with no reasonable response ever received, is what has happened to the United States? For decades I've been hearing "Live free or die", "Shining city on the hill", "Land of the free" and on and on. But now, when you have literal masked secret police kidnapping people off of your streets, by and large everyone's response is... crickets? Where is the public outrage? Where are the immediate removals of the obviously unfit and unqualified from office? Where are the trials for treason against your country's interest, not to mention stuff like insider trading and profiteering? Was all of that earlier sloganeering just that? Empty slogans that never actually meant anything? The major problem facing the world at the moment is what Donald Trump is doing to your country. People outside of your country can't fix it for you since you would object to that and it wouldn't work anyway. (Ask the Iranians how that whole regime change thing is working out for them.) So... where's the action? When were you planning to start fixing things for yourselves?
Actually, I post under my real name. How about you? Why are you posting under a pseudonym? Are you that ashamed of what you say here? (Actually, you probably should be ashamed, calling people ignorant names when you are unable to grapple with or possibly lack understanding of actual facts and real opinions.)
It's your country, you are a citizen of your country and it's generally agreed that your country is descending into fascism (if it hasn't already arrived). So what action have you, personally, taken to fix your country? And no, posting comments on techdirt anonymously and under a pseudonym doesn't count. Have you voted? Have you personally run for office and/or taken concrete steps to support someone "sane" who is running for office by, I don't' know, handing out flyers, posting lawn signs, answering questions from prospective supporters who call in...? Have you contacted your elected officials and provided your input and perspective? Have you volunteered with any civic organizations that may be able to influence your government? Etc.
And the proverbial "ugly American" is heard from again. It's truly sad what has happened to your country. I sincerely hope you can fix it sometime, but I also hate to see you flushing the rest of the world down the drain along with you.
Do you enjoy demonstrating your brainlessness for all to see? "Fuck yourself" is a last refuge taken idiots and incompetents who are incapable of handling a rational argument based on facts. Furthermore, if Trump is getting elected by exploiting your system, then it's on you to fix your system to prevent it. You've only had 250 years to do that. Until then, as I said, you're welcome to enjoy the fruits of what you have voted for. The really unfortunate part is the spillover to the rest of the world.
So many things can't be contained
I'm not American and if all of the things that Trump and his circus clowns were just contained to and affected only the USA I would just be sitting back and saying, "You voted for this (twice, no less) so please continue to enjoy everything that you voted for." But this measles oubreak, and the Iran stuff, international trade, defense, and so many other things are being broken by a toddler who doesn't understand what it is that he's breaking. If someone had come along in 2010 and prophesied that this would happen fifteen years later everyone would have written that prophet off as a crank. I guess this (on top of the Covid fiasco) demonstrates the fragility of modern society and civilization. Everything works fine, right up to the point that it doesn't. I don't know if there is a way to shore it up and make the world's operating principles more robust but if there is then it's well past time to start working on that.
Thank you for your valuable contribution to the discussion. Ain't no denying your sharp intellect.
On the contrary, you're making a shaky assumption that the person involved is not "average". There was nothing said about this fellow being a lawyer or someone occupying any kind of an official position. "If you walked into my office..." tells you nothing other than that he has an office. In the context of his post, the most likely conclusion is that he's referring to a department manager's office in a computer sales shop, not a police station.
Come on now
You've spent far too much time reading crime novels. No average person is going to run (and pay for) their own private investigators and investigation when they are handed potential evidence of a crime. Their most likely course of action will be to contact the relevant authorities and say, "I've got this evidence here" and turn it over the the professionals.
"When the boss tells you “use this or lose your job”, chances are good that you’ll use the AI instead of risking your paycheck." Yeah, that's the same position as anyone who gets told to use a particular widget of any kind to do his job, not just AI-assisted stuff. If said widget is not an effective tool, either the directive will change or the company will evolve somehow to account for that inefficiency (or not).
"would the use of the likenesses of, say, Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. be morally and ethically acceptable even (and especially) if they never gave their approval to have their likeness used that way?" What is your position on Elvis impersonators, and "tribute bands" in general?
"Writing a book of any kind both is and isn’t as easy as “put one word in front of another”; if you understand why I say that, you’re already one step closer to being more of an artist than your average AI slop enthusiast." Interesting that you mention that because I am, in fact and in real life, an author. Though I don't write books, at least not so far, I just do stories and "novelettes". I suppose my examples would have been better if I had asked if you need to know how to tune an engine in order to be a race car driver, or how to butcher a cow to be a chef. I guess I really don't know enough about how this AI stuff really works, and I've never been sufficiently interested in the subject to make any particular effort to understand it. Yeah, I'm an old coot -- so what do you expect? :) But I do find the debate around it interesting and the variance in perspectives is intriguing.
"they don’t really work that well for most of the use cases their advocates are presenting." If that is truly the case then the whole thing will blow over and become irrelevant in a short period of time. If a tool manufacturer was producing wrenches that broke every second time you tried to loosen a bolt, people would soon start buying their wrenches elsewhere. Same thing here. If you're using the wrong tool or an inferior tool for your job, then you're in the position of the guy who went to the doctor and said, "It hurts when I do this." Answer: Don't do that.