A. I.
The A.I. software has a mind of its own. When I ask what it thinks about, it fires off graphics like this.
Do you think that A. I. is sentient?
Bullet Points:
** It’s America! It’s also very Texas.
** Z-skyy is on a European Tour bad-mouthing President Trump and biting the hand that fed him. What does VP Vance have to say about it?
** Elon Musk’s department represents a significant challenge to the entitled, well-paid and self-serving bureaucracy….”The ever-mounting hysteria over Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seems to primarily come from that large sector of Americans working for or feeding from Washington’s seemingly bottomless trough.
** Jill Biden (right) was Joe Biden’s kid’s babysitter before she was his wife. What qualifications did she have to become president when her demented husband didn’t know where or who he was?
** An interesting article from zerohedge. Some democrats acknowledge that they’ve created clown world.
** Politics doesn’t just attract sociopaths—it rewards them.
** Is DOGE the only hope of impactfully changing the Federal spending growth curve and fundamentally equalizing the balance between the interests of the Activist, Unionized, Unaccountable Administrative State and the Taxpaying Citizens producing government “revenue” in the Private Sector? Yes.
** Nails.
Q/A
A friend asked this question: Q Can someone explain, with a straight face, why we have 4.6 million federal government credit cards when we have less than 2.5 million non-military federal employees, including low-level clerks and secretaries? This definitely deserves a “look-see.” Based on my anti-fraud experience as a prosecutor, a significant portion of company embezzlements and internal fraud comes from the unauthorized use of company credit cards.
A – I’m not standing up for the swamp but I suspect many are gasoline credit cards. While they can be abused like anything else, it’s difficult for anyone to use a company car without a card to buy gasoline. The US government owns around 645,000 vehicles of all types. Typically the card is left in the vehicle for whoever is using it. I realize that doesn’t get us anywhere close to 4.6 million but the number is significant. It isn’t easy to justify 4.6 million credit cards if you can’t pass an audit – but the gas cards are something different.
Canada Says
Documenting their efforts to stop global warming and to “keep Canada cold.” Scientists say it’s working, and Canada is colder than the US and Mexico, which is settled science.
He had enough time in service to retire.
The Gates Foundation
(Blaze) One of the key revelations from the DOGE’s investigation is the extent to which USAID is the Gates Foundation and the Gates Foundation is USAID. Gates presents their relationship as a public-private partnership dedicated to saving lives. In reality, it functions more like a money-laundering scheme that “cleans” both wealth and power for people like Gates while sustaining thousands of projects, employees, and placeholders in organizations that rely entirely on a circular flow of public funds. These funds are redirected by uniparty operatives, who, of course, also benefit from the system.
A quick search of the Gates Foundation website reveals 14 separate grants from the foundation to USAID, totaling millions of dollars. A deeper dive shows that since the Gates Foundation was established, as much as $4 billion has flowed from the foundation into projects directly controlled by USAID or USAID-Gates Foundation partnerships. This might sound like Gates generously funding lifesaving initiatives out of the kindness of his heart — but that’s not the whole story.
Who Bells the Cat?
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
3
I think this may be a difficult one.
Name the Historical Character
4
Played by Gene Hackman
Parting Shot – Life in the Corps…
End
1 is Convair XFY Pogo experimental tail sitter.
2 looks to be Embraer C-390 Millennium
3?
4 Hackman played Maj Gen Sosabowski who led the Polish Paratroopers in the Battle of Arnhem ( A Bridge too far).
Yes
IDA:
1. Convair, XFY-1, Pogo
2. Embraer KC-390
3. Baade 152 also known as Dresden 152, VL-DDR 152 or simply 152
4. Gene Hackman played Major General Sosabowski in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
You ran the table.
Caption photo; nice work Siri, meta, or whatever alias L.L. and Surly are using today. I see A.I. ruling over humanity if we let it. The outcome is never good in the sci fi movies unless the little girl makes it to Elysium. Did the chartreuse micro bus mate with the rubber ducky and a 3 wheel, hydrogen powered R.V. with luciferian horns was conceived? Is the A.I. reply insinuating that there is still an open door policy at Martha’s vineyard for the ILLEGAL aliens still remaining in the cities of refuse?
Ok, I admit I inhaled. Been 100% clean and mostly sober since being delivered and converted in 1979. I’m thankful for rehab occasionally if work injuries relapse. The P.T. and the CBT really help. A daily dose V.M. does wonders as well!
VM should cure all of the ills of the world – if people would only listen. I swear, I feel like Cassandra.
**
They love illegal aliens in Martha’s Vineyard from a distance. It’s ok if they arrive, prune trees and shrubs, dig post holes, mow lawns – supervised by somebody of paler complexion – and then leave.
“delivered and converted in 1979.” Same here.
I don’t know if AI is sentient, but clearly it’s racist.
And fatphobic. And transphobic. And able-ist.
And Islamaphobic.
Gates Fndtn/USAID-….aaaand no one is surprised.
As for the “dedicated to saving lives”, when the Left and Dems say ‘X’ one should automatically assume they mean the opposite. The Not-A-Vax is a prime example, it is a culling agent with a landslide of data showing it is causing premature deaths and did not assist anyone from a willfully manipulated cold virus…it was the exact opposite.
***
Is AI sentient? Maybe, but for sure it’s DNA is male, might even be 12 in operative age. No matter, the second picture does “draw one into the scene”. What’s the beverage of choice there? Or, What is she looking at?…Hopefully not a text because that would ruin the mood.
You’d need to ask Siri if you want the answers to the question.
One would have to have a Siri first, but even if I did…not sure I can handle the truth. (Cue the Luddite-mode)
X2
You have Old Banner, WSF. You don’t need Siri.
Please. It is “Doctor!” Jill Biden. Dr. of Student Retention at the Community College if you want to be formal. Jim Clayborne and Barack Obama voted for that. Ok Clayborne voted for Kamala as VP, apparently not really knowing how marxist she was; and Barack put Joe on the ticket after taking out Bernie.
I see short skirts, high heels, and revealing blouses tastefully buttoned are back in style. When did they ever, really, go out of desire? I mean style. Other than with the rainbow flag people. And Rosie O’Donnell.
Even though Rosie went on a crash diet (possibly Ozympic) when she goes to the beach, people keep trying to rescue her by rolling her back into the ocean. I think it’s a habit – maybe some forme of collective national muscle memory that requires it.
Will AI Rule the World? Another old saying I live by is “to err is human, but to really screw up things requires software.”
.
Or think of it this way: you know a bunch of examples of Real Intelligence but you don’t really trust them until you get to know them. Why should you trust any other intelligence that you don’t know? AI doesn’t need more Large Language Modeling, it needs an ethical system.
Good luck with the ethical AI system…
Today is Fat Tuesday. It’s an excuse to drink and barf if you’re in New Orleans—apologies for overlooking the day’s significance.
Nobody brought Paczkis to work today. :(
I’ve been to New Orleans. Do they really need a reason to drink and barf?
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I went for the historical sites. And realized that if the streets smelled that bad, of barf and urine and rancid grease, after being cleaned, that they must truly stink at night.
–
So when we, my wife and I, watch various police shows and they show the French Quarter during some drunken debauchery that results in a murder (in other words, a regular night in said French Quarter) we comment on all the hoochy girls who are so drunk they fall down and wallow on said streets of filth. We wonder if any of said hoochy girls come down with skin infections or such from said wallowing. And we wonder how the police and paramedics get their vehicles clean after said hoochy girls who have wallowed in the filth wallow in their respective vehicles. We also can still, via the wonders of memory, smell the filth and grime. Bleh.
That sums it up nicely, HE Beans.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Convair XFY Pogo
2. Embraer C-390 Millennium
3. Baade 152
Name the Historical Character:
4. General Stanisław Sosabowski in ‘A Bridge Too Far’
From what I’ve heard, hogs were introduced in Texas for hunting, when some of the large game ranches needed something to hunt other than deer decimated by natural occurrences. Since then, they’ve bred out of control, and their destructive behavior led to bounties in some areas. Hunters will shoot the young hogs for meat. The old boars, and sows, are left laying where they were shot.
Years ago, while walking through a palmetto flat. I smelled a sounder of hogs before I heard them. The palmettos were chest high, so I couldn’t see the hogs, but could see where they were disturbing the palmettos. I was squirrel hunting, so all I had was bird shot, and with less than a half-dozen rounds in my shotgun, knew I wouldn’t have a chance if they attacked. I stood still, they eventually went past, and I eased out of the woods. This was after my brother was attacked by a boar, while bow hunting. He managed to release an arrow into the attacking boar, but the boar hooked him under the jaw, and ripped a long cut below his jaw line. If the hog hadn’t died, he would have finished off my brother.
Pro tip – always carry a large caliber handgun when bow or bird hunting with a shotgun. You never know.
My brother owned a Dan Wesson 357 with an 8 inch barrel at the time. My first question to him was why he didn’t shoot the boar with his revolver. He didn’t have it with him, which made me wonder what was going through his mind when he went bow hunting in the East Texas woods. It was a hard lesson for him to learn. He did have a friend with him, that helped him out of the woods, and brought him to a hospital to suture his wound. His friend started the episode by putting an arrow in the ham of the boar. The boar turned, saw my brother, and charged him.
Carrying a large handgun while hunting is probably the most sound advice anyone can give. Even in the best of locations, there’s some critter – maybe a large angry dog – that can kill you in seconds. We had a surge of feral dogs a few years ago. Unlike coyotes, they were not afraid of humans, and only baits solved the problem.
I usually carry the handgun in a chest/tanker rig when hunting with a bow or shotgun. It’s readily available and doesn’t interfere with archery/shotgun operation. Sometimes it hangs on brush when you hip carry while hunting. And a Dan Wesson with an 8″ barrel is a significant hogleg to carry on your hip. I prefer the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Cassul, shorter barrel, big punch, a little easier carry.
That hurts my hand to read that.
When I was in the business, we had a running joke that even if you missed, your target would be deaf and on fire.
I kinda want the trailer with the weird horns on it in the caption pic.
– Kle.
I’m sure I could arrange a sale to a highly motivated buyer.
Got the Pogo. My first thought was yeah, I’d want an ejection seat too. Fixed landing gear indeed.
—–
On my bucket list is to bust a Texas hog with my Sharps (repro) 45-70.
—-
Another Gene Hackman character was Sam Clayton in “Bite The Bullet”. “Gene Hackaman later said one of his favourite scenes that he ever did in his career was in this film. It involved Candice Bergen. I was telling her about my ex-wife, while standing around a waterhole in the middle of the desert,” said Hackman. “I played it on horseback.””
—-
China Marine.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3919688/actor-gene-hackman-served-in-the-marine-corps-in-china/
That’s a great movie! You have to be talking about the scene where he tells Bergen’s character about being a Rough Rider and especially about his Cuban wife and how she was killed. “The people some people marry.” I thought Hackman deserved an Academy Award for that performance. I also thought Ben Johnson deserved one for his speech just before his pump gave out. I can’t watch either scene without dust getting into the room, but that was no act on Son Johnson’s part:
.
https://truewestmagazine.com/article/ben-johnson-a-true-american-cowboy/
Yes, that is the scene. This is the only clip I could find. Unfortunately it is cut short.
——
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xO686qlXz4
—–
Sam, recalling his late wife, “I wasn’t worth her spit”.
https://www.youtube.com/live/2gJa2L_E39U?si=h3N0o5GGxG5JSDI9
Vance is spot on…of course. Yippydog-skyy has screwed the pooch, and proving he’s an idiot every time he opens his arrogant mouth. Trump might have given him a second (third?) chance but instead responded accordingly by suspending all “aid” to show the little man he meant what he said and you don’t screw with the Big Dog. (gee, what a concept…Hey Lindsey!, this is what someone with a backbone looks like.) Maybe America could send him some excess feral hogs instead of weaponry.
Vice President Vance? You mean “JD”? What does that little сука (bitch) have to contribute?
I heard on Megyn Kelly that Zelenskyy managed to piss off Biden at a prior meeting by pulling a similar display of entitled ingratitude, so at least he’s consistent.
And yes, Zelenskyy DOES own a suit. I have photographic evidence:
https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/rozpochalasya-zustrich-volodimira-zelenskogo-ta-binyamina-ne-56841
—
Why does one wear a suit? Some people just like ’em, I guess. But for most people, the reason one wears a suit is to show respect. If not for the persons you are meeting, then for the process.
aargh. musta screwed up the “close bold” tag after “сука”. DIDN’T MEAN TO SHOUT!!!
Sigh.
there was a word my Mom had for people of low/(no) class; I just can’t remember it right now even though I can hear her sister using it to describe him.
Shout Mike, about time you are heard and…gag…seen. (As if you need any help in that arena, hehe.)
“Do you think that A. I. is sentient?”
real questions are: “Why does A.I. prefer everything to be used?” “Is A.I. predicting the future?”
Why are her clothes well-used/frayed?
In the mid-19th Century the Japanese made and sold color prints/ukiyo-e; yes, a different process but are these worth enlarging? is/would there be a market for them?
The Canadian premier threatened to cut electrical power going to the US. The reality is that the electricity goes both ways and it is more of a load balancing act. It would hurt, but we could turn off the oil pipeline that travels to our country and not refine their oil since they don’t have refineries. 2 of our 50 states would suffer for a few days, but their country would absolutely collapse. I like Canada, but their leader needs to take a breath and realize there would be no tariffs if he would secure his end of the border (which started most of this…fentanyl imports have increased by 2000%) and lighten some of the immense tariffs Canada charges the US already. The Candians previously imposed huge tariffs imposed on US products.
When we hear from Encana’s CEO then the threat will be real…as if we’re shaking in our collective boots…until then it’s nothing but a bloviator after too much Cafe Hubris with a lemon twist.
Parting Shot – Life in the Corps…
My Jarhead relatives are not amused. Further, my copying and sending it may provoke a tense conversation at the next family gathering.
Troublemaker.
Send them a box of scented crayons. That will make them happy. Maybe. Maybe not. Okay, it will piss them off, but I predict two things.
–
1. They’re going to be pissed off anyways since you made fun of their beloved Corps.
–
2. They’ll still eat the crayons.
Think of the pretty blend of colors in the discharge that can be thrown against a canvas and peddled at an art auction for BIG BUCKS.
AI’s aren’t sentient. They are LLMs and really nothing more than mathematical algorithms.
Tell THEM that.
He already did…AI is watching everywhere.
Old NFO wants to suck all the joy out of the blog with that comment. And what of Surly, a genuine AI? Is it AIphobic?
You forgot MCAS Cherry Point
Yes… an oversight.