Today’s headlines .........

[Peter A]

Computers are smart.

Ever watched Demon Seed?

[Peter A]

This guy was my cellmate for a week, back in 2014.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/s...s-32721485.amp

Jesus. :(

[Lencoboy]

Conservatives’ Cunning Plan Revealed!...

After losing popularity among voters and fearing a total wipeout at the next general election, Tory MPs have secretly been ordered to defect to current political darling buds of May, the Labour Party. As more and more Tories infiltrate Labour, effectively displacing the prospective parliamentary Labour candidates by being the sitting incumbents, Sir Keir Starmer will end up with a party comprising more than half Conservative MPs, who will then vote en masse to get rid of him as leader and replace him with one of their own...! It all seems so simple... maybe just a bit too simple...

‘Keir Starmer faces Labour anger after Tory MP's defection’...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68980700

... But, y’know, it might, just might, work. I mean, now that there’s not a fag paper between the MPs’ politics of these two overtly centrist parties, we’ll never spot the difference!

I'm sure the opposite has also been known to happen in the past; Labour MPs deflecting to the Tory Party (and of course to other parties), especially during times when Labour were at their lowest ebb in the opinion polls and at the same time universally despised by both the media and the general public alike, even as recently as 2019 (I think).

What goes around certainly comes around, especially in the ever-fickle world of politics.

[Lencoboy]

While still on the subject of British politics, I've noticed UKIP, who were at their high point during the early-mid 2010s, seem to be much lower-key of late, and the BNP, who in turn were at their highest point during the latter half of the 2000s (concurrent with the then-rise of UKIP, but eventually superseded by them) barely ever seem to get mentioned at all these days.

Obviously both have now been largely superseded by Reform UK who are basically just another 'UKIP'/'BNP' party in all but name.

Another potent example of fickle fads and fashions in the world of politics.

[Lencoboy]

As I mentioned, not a fag paper between ‘em!

Haven't quite a few people perceived that for ages now, especially since the Blair era?

Mind you, for better or worse, it might sound like some kind of possible Labour-Tory 'Coalition' govt in the making?

I could be wrong though.

[Pain]

Haven't quite a few people perceived that for ages now ...

Well, I’ve certainly perceived for a long time the lamentable state of affairs that is centrist politics – no effective left or right wing identities, just that great grey graveyard where political ideals go to wither and die, mostly from a terminally chronic lack of will to live.

[Lencoboy]

Well, I’ve certainly perceived for a long time the lamentable state of affairs that is centrist politics – no effective left or right wing identities, just that great grey graveyard where political ideals go to wither and die, mostly from a terminally chronic lack of will to live.

I do remember Corbyn getting it in the neck for supposedly being too Leftist during his tenure as Labour leader, let alone all the anti-Semitic allegations he was on the receiving end of at the same time, though the latter is a whole 'nother story altogether.

[Pain]

Is The Ghost In The Machine...

a medium risk? Apparently not!

“... researchers at Cambridge University say that the AI chatbots – known as deadbots – are a ‘high risk’ endeavour which could cause users lasting psychological harm and fundamentally disrespect the rights of the deceased. [...] The study, published in the journal Philosophy and Technology, highlights the potential for companies to use deadbots to surreptitiously advertise products to users in the manner of a departed loved one ....”

https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/09/ai-ch...ry_tech_item-3

Here’s an important and comforting message from your dearly departed loved one. But first a word from our sponsor....

“In these sad and difficult times of bereavement, think of death as a new beginning. And here’s a little more food for thought: Visit your great new local takeaway, The Happy Reaper, and get a free meal for every twenty-five quid spent!”


PS: If you ever come across folks who reckon they’d be happy to contact the deceased for you, give them a well-aimed punch in the face; because, as the late Ronnie Corbett warned us, you should always aim to strike a happy medium....

PPS: ‘Deadbots’, eh? Isn’t that what you get after sitting on a hard surface for too long?

[Pain]

As Alike As Two Peas In A Pod?...

What’s the difference between commercial broadcasters who rely on advertising to fund their programming and the BBC, which is proposing to sell commercial advertising on some of its broadcasting services?*....

“Warning over 'disastrous' BBC podcast advert plan”...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd188yj9w5lo

‘"We appreciate that the BBC and government will wish to review different options for funding BBC content in future, beyond the current licence fee period up to 2027 [...] However, we do not believe that such significant changes should be introduced incrementally and by stealth."’

Okey dokey... Perhaps the BBC Charter, which contains a number of ‘mission statements’, needs to be reviewed and re-written to include wriggle (or wiggle) room to allow for ‘mission creep’...? Or maybe some well-placed, well-paid middleman at the BBC could get, say, a well-known snack manufacturer to sponsor it? Oh, hang on a moment, what if suggested middleman already has his own commercial position to consider?


*Answer: The BBC has the legally enforceable mandate to take a whacking great £5.7bn fee from the TV-owning public whereas the commercial companies don’t....

[Pain]

Flirting With Artificial Intelligence...

is a load of coquettish nonsense! Start messing around with it and you’ll almost certainly end up being taught a lesson!

‘New version of Chat-GPT can teach maths and flirt’...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2xx1xe2evo

‘Using a warm American female voice [...] it mistook the smiling man for a wooden surface ...’

Now, call me old fashioned, but surely there's no mileage in a bloke falling for the charms of an over-engineered electronic calculator which, even on a good day, considers him a plank?... Then again, perhaps that quoted comment wasn’t a mistake at all and indicates it’s far more intelligent than we’ve been led to believe.... Spooky, eh? All the boffins need to do now is come up with a way for it to respond to that bloke’s reciprocated(!) advances with a slap in the face....