Minor things that bother you

[Max Rockatansky]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

[Rothman]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

[Max Rockatansky]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

Yeah I saw that he left.  Really he should have messaged the admin.  Posting what he did in public invited the response he got.

[TheCatalyst31]

A friend of mine from church is getting ready to sell a work van.  It's a combo passenger/cargo van, and he and his helper were trying to figure out how to get the seats back in.  After racking their brains, he finally asked ChatGPT for help.  Instantly, ChatGPT returned with not only instructions, but a diagram.  After looking at the diagram, they realized they were doing things entirely backward.  Problem solved!  Got the seats installed lickety-split.

Not everything about A.I. is bad...

It is always nice when the AI emits output that coincidentally happens to be right.

A fun thing to do is to ask it a question about the details of minor highway, especially one containing a plausible misconception a non-roadgeek might have, and then watch it FritzOwl an answer to the question instead of telling you it doesn't know or that your question is based on a faulty premise.

It's also fun to yes-and the AI about mistakes to see if it will commit to even weirder mistakes. At one point I got an answer that said the northern end of US 51 was in Illinois, and when I asked about that, it claimed that US 51 had been truncated in the 1980s and its original northern end was in the Upper Peninsula.

[kphoger]

Would you take a pill that gave you cancer if it got rid of your headache?

Of course not.  But I'd definitely take a pill that gave me a headache if it got rid of my cancer.

Studies are starting to show that computer programs may be better at diagnoses than human doctors.  If that keeps panning out, I'd rather be properly treated...

I'd rather be treated by a human doctor, but more power to him if he uses A.I. as part of his diagnostic and treatment process.  Every tool has its limitations, but I'm glad when professionals have tools to use, as long as they also use their brains and experience.

[hbelkins]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

Yeah I saw that he left.  Really he should have messaged the admin.  Posting what he did in public invited the response he got.

And if I read things correctly, the "no AI" rule didn't get added until after that little brouhaha.

[Max Rockatansky]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

Yeah I saw that he left.  Really he should have messaged the admin.  Posting what he did in public invited the response he got.

And if I read things correctly, the "no AI" rule didn't get added until after that little brouhaha.

That admin had said AI was off limits a couple times since it was "spam."  Apparently, people complained enough about an AI rule not being clearly codified.  Hence the whole "Rule 7" post you're seeing.

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

[Rothman]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

Yeah I saw that he left.  Really he should have messaged the admin.  Posting what he did in public invited the response he got.

And if I read things correctly, the "no AI" rule didn't get added until after that little brouhaha.

That admin had said AI was off limits a couple times since it was "spam."  Apparently, people complained enough about an AI rule not being clearly codified.  Hence the whole "Rule 7" post you're seeing.

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

I do find the codification a little overkill.  Not sure what recourse an individual would have if they were banned or modded "unfairly," anyway.  It's not like there's a court to which to appeal, very thankfully.

[wxfree]

Would you take a pill that gave you cancer if it got rid of your headache?

Of course not.  But I'd definitely take a pill that gave me a headache if it got rid of my cancer.

Studies are starting to show that computer programs may be better at diagnoses than human doctors.  If that keeps panning out, I'd rather be properly treated...

I'd rather be treated by a human doctor, but more power to him if he uses A.I. as part of his diagnostic and treatment process.  Every tool has its limitations, but I'm glad when professionals have tools to use, as long as they also use their brains and experience.

The new "Scrubs" is excellent.  It's the only reboot I've ever seen that really captured the magic of the original and updated it for the modern world.  The new series can address situations like this, but the original addressed the version of its time.  I remember an episode in which the young physician was looking through textbooks to try to find a difficult diagnosis.  I'm pretty sure JD also told us once that even real doctors use search engines to get help, just like the unqualified masses.

I knew a lawyer years ago who explained what his legal training did, which is similar.  He knows a lot of laws and precedents, but he doesn't know them all.  What he really knows is basic principles, and how to find statutes and court decisions that identify how the principles are applied.  Physicians know a lot of symptoms and diseases, but what they really know is how to find answers.  The computers can help identify and diagnose problems, but they won't replace professional experience and judgement, not for a long time.  Even in Star Trek, centuries in the future, "The Doctor" is a computer program, but is meant only to supplement the actual medical staff.  He becomes a "real" doctor only because he's the only one qualified on that side of the galaxy.

Bridge designs and traffic patterns are already put through computer simulations.  They can be just as well designed by computers.  Weather forecasts have long been based on computer outputs.  The forecasts themselves can be largely outsourced to the devices.  But still, professional judgement is needed to understand what the computers are doing.  It's popular these days to pass raw model outputs around as if they're actual forecasts, to cause panic and get attention, because people don't understand what the models actually mean (they do not mean exactly what they say).  Better tools are good, but actual expertise is needed to properly use them.  That's the job of the physician, the attorney, the engineer, and the meteorologist.  These tool updates are not fundamentally different than the textbooks, paper maps, search engines, and model outputs of the old days, they're just improved versions that can help people who actually know what they're doing do even better work.  Until we're advanced enough to get stuck on the far side of the galaxy, I don't think we should be giving any thought to going to see a computer for a medical visit.  Self-diagnosis with Google (or the Merck Manual) is stupid.  The same is true of more advanced computers, but it does not apply to experts who are actually qualified to use those tools.  In their hands, better tools will produce better outcomes.

[Max Rockatansky]

There was a spat on one of the larger Facebook road groups (Roadgeekery) yesterday.  Someone made a G26 US Route 101 shield mockup image to show that "AI" preferred cutout shields.  The group admin deleted it due to it being a violation of the groups anti-AI content policy.  Caused a bit of a ruckus when the poster demanded an answer about the post deletion.

FWIW I thought the post with context was fine.  I usually delete AI stuff but I would have kept this one given effort went into explaining why it was created. 

Yeah, I saw that.  Thought there was context for it, but didn't think it was the hugest deal for it to be removed.  Looks like the poster left that group, too.

Yeah I saw that he left.  Really he should have messaged the admin.  Posting what he did in public invited the response he got.

And if I read things correctly, the "no AI" rule didn't get added until after that little brouhaha.

That admin had said AI was off limits a couple times since it was "spam."  Apparently, people complained enough about an AI rule not being clearly codified.  Hence the whole "Rule 7" post you're seeing.

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

I do find the codification a little overkill.  Not sure what recourse an individual would have if they were banned or modded "unfairly," anyway.  It's not like there's a court to which to appeal, very thankfully.

I get the gist that the admin is often caught off guard by how particular some hobby regulars are about rules. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Would you take a pill that gave you cancer if it got rid of your headache?

Of course not.  But I'd definitely take a pill that gave me a headache if it got rid of my cancer.

Studies are starting to show that computer programs may be better at diagnoses than human doctors.  If that keeps panning out, I'd rather be properly treated...

I'd rather be treated by a human doctor, but more power to him if he uses A.I. as part of his diagnostic and treatment process.  Every tool has its limitations, but I'm glad when professionals have tools to use, as long as they also use their brains and experience.

The new "Scrubs" is excellent.  It's the only reboot I've ever seen that really captured the magic of the original and updated it for the modern world.  The new series can address situations like this, but the original addressed the version of its time.  I remember an episode in which the young physician was looking through textbooks to try to find a difficult diagnosis.  I'm pretty sure JD also told us once that even real doctors use search engines to get help, just like the unqualified masses.

The current Scrubs is fine but not having Dr. Cox had a regular part is very noticeable. 

[wxfree]

Would you take a pill that gave you cancer if it got rid of your headache?

Of course not.  But I'd definitely take a pill that gave me a headache if it got rid of my cancer.

Studies are starting to show that computer programs may be better at diagnoses than human doctors.  If that keeps panning out, I'd rather be properly treated...

I'd rather be treated by a human doctor, but more power to him if he uses A.I. as part of his diagnostic and treatment process.  Every tool has its limitations, but I'm glad when professionals have tools to use, as long as they also use their brains and experience.

The new "Scrubs" is excellent.  It's the only reboot I've ever seen that really captured the magic of the original and updated it for the modern world.  The new series can address situations like this, but the original addressed the version of its time.  I remember an episode in which the young physician was looking through textbooks to try to find a difficult diagnosis.  I'm pretty sure JD also told us once that even real doctors use search engines to get help, just like the unqualified masses.

The current Scrubs is fine but not having Dr. Cox had a regular part is very noticeable. 

If we knew we had 8 years, Dr. Cox could be chief for a while and then be replaced by JD.  When Bob retired, I didn't like how he still hung around at the hospital so much.  I liked his character, but I thought his retirement was poorly written.  I don't have a better idea for how to keep him on the show, but I wish someone had.  We don't have a certainty of multiple seasons, so we had to jump right to the retirement and promotion.  I like that Perry isn't pulling a Bob and hanging around all the time, but I wish he were somehow written into some episodes.  His jackassery was a part of what moved the characters forward.  Still, I don't know how to continue that without going back in time 20 years.  I think overall the new version is well done, although I also miss the janitor.  But I don't think going back to the same old gags decades later would work.  Elderly JD would break his hip if he slipped on an overwaxed floor.

[hbelkins]

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

Speaking of those, the number of those types of posts has decreased significantly in my feed.

[Max Rockatansky]

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

Speaking of those, the number of those types of posts has decreased significantly in my feed.

I suspect Facebook caught onto AI/bot pages that were harvesting engagement monetization.  The AI Highway pages were just ripping off data (or photos) from sources like Wikipedia, AAroads or in some cases even our page. 

[wxfree]

FWIW, in my own groups if I think something is spam, I'll just delete it (including AI posts).  I generally try to get a dialog going with the poster, but they rarely ever reply to me.  On occasion I have to ban people because they keep sharing AI posts or stuff from AI road pages. 

Speaking of those, the number of those types of posts has decreased significantly in my feed.

I've been getting a bunch of obviously fake receipts with people saying absurd things about tipping.  The attention economy sucks.

When a paper is crumpled, the printing on it doesn't stay perfectly smooth.  Also, handwritten numbers don't look exactly the same.  I have receipts that are months old, and are maybe folded or bent in one or two spots.  Not every receipt gets ever so slightly crumpled to exactly the same degree over its entire area.  What's the point of this garbage?  Are people getting paid for engagement, so they put up stuff that's enraging (or obviously erroneous so people will correct them) to try to make money?  It's hard to imagine a more insidious crime against society.

Also, why the hell do they use computers to draw celebrities and post e-paintings that aren't even halfway accurate, when the Internet is drowning in actual photographs of celebrities?

[thenetwork]

Job hunting in the AI world is terrible!!!  After submitting a resume/app online, the bots quickly acknowledge your submission via text or email...That is excellent, but that's where their logic and usefulness ends.

If the AI bots "like" your resume, they quickly get you to select a date and time for an in-person interview from a list of available slots.  Pick one, and you get a confirmation.

Sounds good, right?

For THREE different interviews, I was given a last-minute cancellation underthe excuse of "the position was filled" or "we need time to look over your application more".

On the 4th Interview today, I drove the 20 minutes to the interview on the date/time confirmed by the AI bot.  And was told by a human that the interview was for the NEXT DAY, despite the fact that I showed them the text I received from their company's email.  I left without an interview nor any apology by said human.

A few hours later, the AI bot canceled the  alleged appointment for the next day! Huh?

So I scheduled another interview for Friday woth the AI Bot, but I won't go...screw them!

Mind you these were for large national retail or service companies to boot! 

[Scott5114]

And somewhere some executive is gleefully bragging about how much money he's saving in HR costs from all that. All 100% legal. Ain't capitalism fun?

[kphoger]

And somewhere some executive is gleefully bragging about how much money he's saving in HR costs from all that. All 100% legal. Ain't capitalism fun?

Does socialism prohibit A.I.-processed job applications?

[Scott5114]

And somewhere some executive is gleefully bragging about how much money he's saving in HR costs from all that. All 100% legal. Ain't capitalism fun?

Does socialism prohibit A.I.-processed job applications?

If it didn't, at least you wouldn't have CEOs pissing their pants about how it's unfair that the government told them they couldn't do something.

[kphoger]

If it didn't, at least you wouldn't have CEOs pissing their pants about how it's unfair that the government told them they couldn't do something.

Does socialism prohibit the government telling CEOs not to do things?  Or does it only prohibit their pissing their pants?

[Scott5114]

Or does it only prohibit their pissing their pants?

Under socialism they have to piss everyone's pants.

[Max Rockatansky]

Or does it only prohibit their pissing their pants?

Under socialism they have to piss everyone's pants.

In Soviet Russia pants piss you.

[kurumi]

Eta zhizn

Haqiqatan ham shunday. (Uzbek)

Are you an Uzbek knower? That's unironically cool. Their writing system journey is a fun read.

However, for reasons I'm not in the loop of, Uzbek is the go-to ironic language choice in https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/

[JayhawkCO]

Eta zhizn

Haqiqatan ham shunday. (Uzbek)

Are you an Uzbek knower? That's unironically cool. Their writing system journey is a fun read.

However, for reasons I'm not in the loop of, Uzbek is the go-to ironic language choice in https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/

Alas, I am a Google Translate knower. Whenever I travel, I try to at least learn hello, thank you, good bye, and Do you speak English? But in the era of translation apps and eSims, that's all you really need to get around in countries without a lot of English proficiency. Kinda takes some of the fun out of it.

[JayhawkCO]

Alas, I am a Google Translate knower. Whenever I travel, I try to at least learn hello, thank you, good bye, and Do you speak English? But in the era of translation apps and eSims, that's all you really need to get around in countries without a lot of English proficiency. Kinda takes some of the fun out of it.

And for this trip, I'll need to learn a little bit of Polish, Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Kazakh, Azeri, Moldovan (Romanian), and Czech, which might be a bit much for my brain to handle. In reality, the younger generation of almost every country learns English, and I think Tajikistan might be the country I go to with the least amount of English. I already can say hello, goodbye, thank you, etc. in Russian, so that might suffice. Being able to read Cyrillic helps too, even if I don't know what the words are -- at least helps to order off a menu once I translate it.