Mutter Bundle #5: AI, HARDtalk, Green Stuff, and a Noir Walk Through Some Suburb

16 Oct 2024 14:41

A rather captivating and thought-provoking Wired article that touches on the flip side (or 'dark' side, as some might call it) of the Character.AI technology coin:

https://www.wired.com/story/characterai-has-a-non-consensual-bot-problem/

They talk about how AI bots are being made with real people's data, often without consent, including data from those who have already passed away.

Here’s what got me thinking:

AI or no AI, if someone who can actually draw randomly sketches a human face, isn’t there always a chance it’s going to look like a real person, just by odds alone? I mean, Earth’s pretty crowded.

You can actually imagine the adult entertainment industry jumping all over this (if they haven’t already), and the kind of demand that will create some sketchy supply in this market.

Are we still living in a relative AI wild west right now? Are we inevitably going to push the pendulum towards heavy regulation, and so much so that only rule-breakers or those with strong legal muscle will be able to enjoy the full benefits of AI like we all do now?

18 Oct 2024 14:24

First I read this:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/ofcom-launches-investigation-into-whether-tismi-failed-to-prevent-misuse-of-its-phone-numbers-by-scammers/

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/investigation-into-tismis-compliance/

And then I remembered this (not that it’s necessarily related to this particular case; the Ofcom reading just jogged my memory). Over the past couple of months, I’ve been receiving calls and texts from random people asking what I wanted or why I was calling them. At first, I thought maybe I let my guard down and some malware slipped into my Android handset, dialing those numbers. But when I checked, my operator’s billing showed no outgoing calls to those numbers. I’m still not entirely sure what the scammers (if that’s indeed what they are) are trying to achieve here, but the facts are what they are.

18 Oct 2024 18:34

For all we know, the next major green and efficient home heating solution might just have 'electric wallpaper' written all over it. And trials have already kicked off in sunny Glesga:

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/electric-wallpaper-trialled-as-alternative-to-central-heating-in-glasgow

18 Oct 2024 21:46

BBC axes HARDtalk and Click? What? Oh, come on!

https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2024/10/16/bbc-news-axes-hardtalk-and-click-in-new-round-of-job-cuts/

Click was a good program. I wasn't a regular viewer, but I did enjoy watching it whenever the odd episode came under my radar. But HARDtalk... that wasn't just some quality journalism; that was THE journalism, if you forgive me my pathos. There aren’t a great deal of shows that offer straight-to-the-point, fearless, no-nonsense interviews these days, and with that in mind, HARDtalk was anything but surplus stock. It really feels like a huge disservice to viewers and a significant loss. It’s just sad.

19 Oct 2024 13:08

Would you fall for it if I tried to convince you that this pic from Salford, Greater Manchester, was taken during my recent Eurotrip while I was just wandering through a random Eastern European suburb?

19 Oct 2024 20:11

Tumski Apartments, Poznań, Poland. Review.

My rating:4/5

I found it quite pleasant, clean, conveniently located, and most definitely value-for-money. The apartment is about the size of a typical hotel room yet has all the needed cooking facilities, along with an en-suite shower and toilet. For me, it’s almost five-star material if it weren’t for certain minor disappointments, such as the absence of hangers and Polish-only communications (even though English is listed as a supported language).

Key Points:

Just a few minutes' walk to the nearest tram stop, Katedra, and not a great deal longer to the very heart of Poznań.

Nicely played check-in procedure. The apartment's door is equipped with an electronic digi-lock, and they send you a code that is valid from the day/hour you check in to the day/hour you are meant to vacate the property.

Clean, neat, and pretty modern inside.

Cooker, microwave, kettle, fridge, freezer, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery—self-cater to your heart's content.

Nice bathroom facilities.

Plenty of sockets.

Air conditioner.

Decent WiFi.

Maybe it's just me, but I struggled to find where and how to hang my clothes, as there appeared to be no hangers anywhere in plain sight.

According to their Booking.com profile, they speak both English and Polish, but all the messages I received were entirely in Polish. When asked, they suggested that those unfamiliar with Polish should use the Booking.com conversation translation tool. Since I have a basic grasp of Polish, I didn’t push further, but it seems my definition of 'languages spoken' contrasts with that of their management.

 

https://www.booking.com/hotel/pl/tumski-apartments-24h-self-check-in.en-gb.html