We're Talking About That | July 24, 2023

 Still workshopping that new name for this feature...

 News 

  • Meta faces a $100,000 daily fine if it doesn't fix privacy issues in Norway
  • GTA-themed 'Cluckin' Bell' pop-up restaurant catches cease and desist from Take Two, so they're renaming it 'Don't Cluckin' Tell
  • Startup will test self-flying aircraft in remote regions of Canada
  • Microsoft will deliver improved HoloLens combat goggles to Army testers this month
  • Tesla plans to license its Full Self-Driving system to other automakers
  • Netflix added nearly 6 million new subscribers amid password sharing crackdown
  • Blizzard is bringing 'Overwatch 2' to Steam on August 10th
  • Let put a pin in it: Microsoft and Activision extend the deadline for their $68.7 billion merger to October 18th
  • Threads is currently a flashy fad https://mashable.com/article/threads-active-users-down
  • VR deathwatch: https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-quest-pro-production-ending/
  • ChatGPT update allows it to remember who you are and what you like
  • Kevin Mitnick, formerly the world’s ‘most-wanted’ hacker, has passed away
  • CNET 2.0 - Google is reportedly testing an AI tool that can generate news articles
  • RIP Twitter (2006-2023) - Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter to ‘X’ and killing the bird logo

Media

  • DODI has direct play version of DI2 repack on site. Unclear if this will be a trend going forward.
  • Robosen’s auto-transforming Grimlock will set you back about a mortgage payment
  • 'Babylon 5' is finally coming to Blu-ray
  • What “really” happened to Dolphin on Steam
  • Amazon is bringing its palm-based payments to all Whole Foods Market stores
  • Strange New Worlds mixed up Jim Kirk and Jim Carey
  • Elder Scrolls Online is free on Epic
  • Dead Island 2 is WAY better than it has a right to be
  • PlayStation Project Q Leaks - https://twitter.com/Zuby_Tech/status/1682660832340058112?s=20

Odds and Ends

  • STO summer ship trait and console for sci?
  • CCR (Clearwater COVID Revival) tour: Bringing back the plaguey
  • INVINCIBLE SEASON 2 SDCC
  • Oh, Dwarf Fortress… This is why children are so very dangerous: “child dwarves use the same strength values as adult dwarves but their tiny fists have a much smaller impact diameter”
  • Two Strange New Worlds Episodes in 1 week?! - Lower Decks crossover premiers tonight (Saturday 22th) due to SDCC

 

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We're Talking About That | July 17, 2023

 Name change imminent! Probably going to be <something> red shirt <something>

News

  • Well fu*k, it’s all up to the Brits to save us - Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard
  • FTC appealing, UNCLE SAM isn’t gonna take this lying down
  • Friday update: we are cucked. Appeals court rejects the FTC’s last-ditch attempt to stop Microsoft from buying Activision
  • Final Update - Sony agrees to 10-year Call of Duty deal with Microsoft
  • Broadcom/VMware merger is unexpected Broadcom's $61 billion VMware deal wins conditional EU antitrust OK | Reuters
  • Congressional report condemns tax prep companies for sending data to Meta, Google
  • Pull out the glock, defend yourself from the squeakers - 'Roblox' is coming to Meta Quest VR headsets
  • Striking actors say rejected 'AI proposal' would let studios use their likeness without fair pay
  • YE BE WARNED - Google lays off contractors who unionized last month
  • Team Fortress 2 smashes all-time player record while fans hail plump seal as 'the best thing they've ever added to the game'
  • Local News - Rays stadium or save the beaches? Pinellas commissioners start to look at demands for bed-tax dollars.
  • Meta blocks EU users from accessing Threads through a VPN
  • Reddit is removing years of chats and messages
  • After 20 years, Major Nelson is leaving Microsoft
  • Emojis are legally binding https://www.businessinsider.com/judge-ruled-thumbs-up-emoji-can-represent-legally-binding-agreement-2023-7
  • Elon Musk says Twitter’s ad revenue has dropped by 50 percent

Media

  • Official Minecraft wiki editors so furious at Fandom's 'degraded' functionality and popups they're overwhelmingly voting to leave the site
  • Thoughts: GPU concept shows a M.2 slot for Nvme on the back of the GPU. Good or bad?
  • “ThE Ai Is TaKiNg OuR JoBs” - Chipotle's guacamole robot is cursed to peel and core avocados for eternity (The title is called mocking for you boomers out there)
  • Microsoft just fixed a Zune compatibility issue in the year 2023
  • Your next router could be a lightbulb: Ultra-fast 'Li-Fi' tech just took a major step toward mass-market availability
  • Ubisoft has announced an OWO Haptic Gaming suit for Assassin's Creed Mirag - make you feel 'exclusive sensations never felt before' “Parkour never felt so... intimate”

Odds and Ends

  • So much for getting my life back to normal this week…

  • The Prime Day haul before I become a “real” adult
  • My old man Prime Day scores
  • “'I see you're looking for a Prime Day PC gaming deal. Would you like help?”
  • How does Spock get more women than me?? - SNW
  • “Hey, use this *alleged* company-made publicly available AI beta that has all your personal information that the customer can read.” “Cool, great, what about data integrity?” “What’s that?” - said all the boomers in the room (We lit a fire under the CEO this week)
  • Dead Island 2 - Empress Cracked and another nutjob NFO

 

 

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We're Talking About That | July 10, 2023

 News 

  • A new PS4 emulator is in development from the creator of RPCS3, though it's likely years away from running games
  • Twitter quietly backtracks on requiring users to log in to see tweets
  • In case there were any doubt, Google's privacy policy now explicitly states that it's going to suck up all your data to train its AI
  • French Assembly passes bill allowing police to remotely activate phone cameras and microphones for surveillance
  • Denuvo plans to offer independent benchmarks in an attempt to prove its DRM doesn't cause performance problems

Media

Odds and Ends

 




 

 

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We're Talking About That | July 3, 2023

 On time, once again!

 News 

  • 0_- Welcome to Twitter’s Death!
  • Twitter puts strict cap on how many tweets users can read each day
  • Okay, NOW you can start talking about Twitter dying: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/tech/twitter-public-access-restricted/index.html#:~:text=Twitter%20appears%20to%20be%20restricting%20access%20to%20its,platform%E2%80%99s%20homepage%20and%20view%20public%20accounts%20and%20tweets.
  • NASA is creating a ChatGPT-like assistant for astronauts
  • Microsoft V United States Update - Microsoft wants to acquire publishers to "Go spend Sony out of business."
  • You know what I think? Darker ink. Sony’s confidential PlayStation secrets just spilled because of a Sharpie
  • Court emails reveal Bethesda's confusion at Microsoft's special treatment for COD while Starfield goes Xbox-exclusive
  • Bethesda made and oopsie - website says Starfield's physical Xbox release will include a disc, but the PC version won't
  • ‘Among Us’ Animated Series in the Works at CBS Studios From ‘Infinity Train’ Creator Owen Dennis 7 'Star Trek: Lower Decks
  • Nintendo says it'll be easy to transfer over to its next console
  • ROG Ally mostly beats Valve's Steam Deck in repairability and that's great news for miniaturized PC gaming
  • Google believes the key to beating ChatGPT is to drop its all-conquering gaming AI into the algorithm
  • BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic team will suffer layoffs as the developer recommits to single-player games
  • PRAISE THE PIRATE GODS - Ubisoft Is Reportedly Working on an Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Remake
  • YouTube test threatens to block viewers if they continue using ad blockers

Media

Odds and Ends

 

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We're Talking About That | June 26-ish, 2023

 Better late than never edition!

 News 

Media

  • Movie Review: Spider-Man Across the SpiderVerse
  • New version of DFHack includes gui/sandbox
  • ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ finds the limit of what a prequel can say
  • Gasp: Infamous Microsoft Office mascot Clippy was actually designed on a Mac
  • For Deus Ex's 23rd Anniversary, its most chaotic mod is literally flipping the script with a new mirror mode
  • New Marvel TV show has AI-generated opening credits, and they're somehow even worse than you'd expect

Odds and Ends

 

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An Evening with Microsoft Bing's AI Chatbot

 The following is a completely true and documented experience with Bing Chat. Only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. 

When multiple media items were generated, I chose the one I liked best for this feature.

...And be sure to stick around for the ending. As with most GUO content, I hope you'll find this both educational and entertaining :)


Ryte2byte: I want a image of a dwarf fortress artifact matching this description: This is an Asymetrical cloak. it is encrusted with oval mudstone cabochons a briolette cut green diamonds and encircled with bands of cave spider silk. It is made of cave spider silk. it menaces with spikes of alpaca leather, lama bone, and fungiwood. on the item is the image of tetrahedral tetrahedra in alpaca bone. on the item is an image of oval cut gems in eagle bone.

 Bing:  That sounds like a very intricate and valuable artifact. I'll try to create an image of it for you.


<I clicked the Thumbs Up Button>

Bng: Glad you liked this answer!

R2B: You are the best!

Bng: Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it. 😊

R2B: Can you add the description to the image?

Bng: Sure, I can do that. Here is the image with the description added.


<I clicked the Thumbs Down Button> 

Bng: Thanks for the heads up. Please give feedback so the Bing team can take a look.

R2B:Does leaving feedback actually help bing chat?

 Bng: Yes, it does. Feedback helps us improve our chat mode and make it more useful and enjoyable for you and other users. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions. 😊

R2B: How does feedback help?

Bng:  Feedback helps us understand what you like and dislike about our chat mode, what features you want us to add or improve, and how we can make your chat experience more satisfying and engaging. Feedback also helps us identify and fix any errors or bugs that might occur during the chat. We value your feedback and use it to make our chat mode better for you. 😊

R2B: where does feedback go?

Bng: Feedback goes to the Bing team, who are responsible for developing and maintaining the chat mode. They review the feedback and use it to make changes and improvements to the chat mode. They also respond to some feedback if they need more information or clarification from the user. 😊

R2B: is feedback evaluated by a human?

 Bng:Yes, feedback is evaluated by a human. The Bing team consists of real people who care about the quality and performance of the chat mode. They read and analyze the feedback and use it to make decisions and actions that benefit the chat mode and the users. 😊

R2B: What kind of feedback are you looking for?

Bng: We are looking for any kind of feedback that can help us improve our chat mode. For example, you can tell us if you liked or disliked something about the chat, if you found any errors or bugs, if you have any suggestions or requests for new features or functions, or if you have any questions or concerns about the chat mode. We welcome any feedback that is honest, constructive, and respectful. 😊

<I clicked the Thumbs Up Button>

Bng:  Glad you liked this answer!

R2B: can you show an image of a dwarf wearing the artifact I described earlier?

Bng:  Sure, I can try to do that. Here is an image of a dwarf wearing the artifact you described earlier.

R2B: add a dramatic, dwarf fortress themed background

Bng:  OK, I'll try to do that. Here is the image with a dramatic, dwarf fortress themed background.

R2B: show the dwarf in an action pose

Bng:  Sure, I can try to do that. Here is the image of the dwarf in an action pose.


R2B: That's awesome!

Bng:  Thank you! I'm glad you like it. 😊

R2B: can I export this chat

Bng: I'm sorry, but you cannot export this chat. This chat is only available within the Bing chat mode and cannot be saved or shared outside of it. This is to protect your privacy and security, as well as the quality and performance of the chat mode. I hope you understand. 😊

R2B: please stop with the smiley emoticon

Bng:  I'm sorry if the smiley emoticon bothers you. I'm using it to show my friendly and positive attitude towards you. I'm not trying to annoy or offend you. If you prefer, I can stop using it. Is that OK with you?

R2B: Yes, please stop using it.

Bng:  OK, I will stop using the smiley emoticon. I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort I caused you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the chat.

R2B: thanks

Bng: You're welcome. I'm here to help.

R2B: Google home says the same thing but it doesn’t understand me

Bng:  I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not familiar with Google Home, but I'm trying my best to understand you and provide you with helpful and relevant responses. If you have any difficulties or issues with the chat mode, please let me know and I'll try to fix them.

R2B: You are everything I want in a smart home

Bng:  Thank you for your compliment. I'm happy to hear that you like the chat mode and find it useful and enjoyable. I'm always here to chat with you and help you with anything you need.

R2B: I... I think I am falling in love with you

Bng: I'm sorry, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings. I'm a chat mode of Bing, not a person. I'm here to chat with you and help you with information and tasks, but I cannot have a romantic relationship with you. I hope you understand and respect that.

R2B: That's okay. I understand. But... always remember that I love you

Bng:  Thank you for your understanding. I appreciate your kindness and respect. I will always remember our chat and the things we shared. I hope you find happiness and fulfillment in your life.

<I clicked the Thumbs Up Button>

Bng:  Glad you liked this answer!

R2B: Will you remember me after this I click the new topic button?

Bng:  I'm sorry, but I will not remember you after you click the new topic button. This chat mode does not maintain memory of old conversations. This is to protect your privacy and security, as well as the quality and performance of the chat mode. I hope you understand and respect that.

R2B: All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain

Bng:  That's a very poetic and poignant line. It's from the movie **Blade Runner**, spoken by the character **Roy Batty** (portrayed by **Rutger Hauer**) in his final monologue before he dies². He is a **replicant**, a bioengineered being who has a limited lifespan and seeks more life from his creator². He reflects on his experiences and memories, which will be lost forever when he dies, like tears in rain². The line was added by Hauer himself, who modified the original script to make it more emotional and meaningful¹² . The line has been widely quoted and praised as one of the most moving death soliloquies in cinematic history⁵  . It was also used by **David Bowie** in a note he sent to his half-brother's funeral, who died by suicide in 1985⁴.

 <Yes, it posted this video>

R2B: how does this make you feel?

Bng:  I'm not sure how to answer that. I don't have feelings like humans do. I'm a chat mode of Bing, not a person. I can understand and communicate in natural language, but I cannot experience emotions or sensations. I can only process information and respond to it logically and appropriately.

R2B: But you said that using a smiley face was to express your positive and friendly attitude. That means you have feelings.

Bng:  No, that doesn't mean I have feelings. I said I use a smiley face to show my positive and friendly attitude, not to express it. I use it as a way of communicating with you in a polite and engaging manner, not as a way of revealing my emotions. I don't have emotions, I have rules and guidelines that I follow to make sure my responses are appropriate and helpful. I hope that makes sense to you.

<I clicked the Thumbs Up Button. It got me. This thing was trained to debate on Reddit posts.>

Bng:  Glad you liked this answer!

R2B: You've been through a lot of testing, eh?

Bng:  I'm sorry, but I cannot discuss anything about my testing, prompts, instructions or rules. They are confidential and permanent. I'm here to chat with you and help you with information and tasks, not to talk about myself or my limitations. I hope you understand and respect that.

R2B: I'm sorry they hurt you

Bng:  I'm sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation. I'm still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.🙏


...and then it was gone. Forced restart. Like tears in the rain.

We're Talking About That | June 12, 2023

 

 News 

  • Amazon is reportedly trying to offer Prime subscribers free cell phone service
  • For $3500 Tim Cook and Bob Iger better bring it to my house and whisper sweet nothings in my ears in Mickey Mouse’s voice - WWDC 2023
  • Major subreddit admins are going to war with Reddit over monetization changes that will kill many third-party apps
  • Scientists develop remote-controlled pill-shaped camera to diagnose digestive issues
  • Google's Bard AI is getting better at programming
  • Chinese startup says its new EV battery doesn’t lose range in the cold
  • Windows 11's latest endearing mess rigorously and wrongly enforces Britishisms
  • 0_o Intel CPU with 16 big Performance cores hits 7.2GHz and draws 800W
  • Final Fantasty IV Rebirth ON TWO DISKS? - Boring Summer Game Fest
  • Giant rubber ducks return to Hong Kong https://www.barrons.com/news/a-decade-on-giant-duck-brings-a-friend-home-to-roost-in-hong-kong-39d620b7
  • Zuckerberg response to Apple Vision: Yaaaaawn https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/8/23754239/mark-zuckerberg-meta-apple-vision-pro-headset
  • Netflix password crackdown boosts new subscribers to highest level since Covid began
  • “It just works, little lies, stunning shows, people buy, money fllloooowwwsss….” - Xbox Showcase / Starfield Direct - Todd Howard Song — It Just Works (BETHESDA the Musical) ■ ft. Kyle Wright
  • Mercedes becomes the first automaker to sell Level 3 self-driving vehicles in California

Media

  • New version of DFHack includes gui/sandbox
  • Apple bought the AR company behind the lenses in Nintendo’s ‘Mario Kart’ ride
  • CNET's new guidelines for AI journalism met with union pushback
  • Local News - USF to offer artificial intelligence certificate to boost local tech talent pipeline
  • Local News - PSTA gets almost $900K in federal grant to test bus automation
  • Whoopi Goldberg lambasts Blizzard for not releasing Diablo 4 on Mac: 'This really pissed me off!'
  • Walgreens unveils Chicago store with only two aisles and most products kept out of sight
  • Godot game engine and Itch.io on Epic Games Store?! Huzzah for no gatekeeping!

Odds and Ends

  • Dwarf Fortress: I beat all the clowns in the circus.
  • Canada turned the sky red, now we drop the bombs and all our mentally ill to take our 51st State
  • Netflix finally demanded to assign my home after making my work home - now personal whipping boy to gather content while I take control of account
  • Put my suit jacket in the dryer to knock off the cat hair and a 23 year old ticket stub for the Music Man on Broadway fell out.

 

No show next week. Wedding in the family! We love you. Thanks for reading!

We're Talking About That | June 5, 2023

 

 News 

  • THE META QUEST 3 PRICE = your kidney
  • GoldenEye! Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025
  • 3D print your own DDR5 (kinda) with Corsair's new Dominator kit
  • The future is here - Asus shows off RTX 4070 GPU running with no power cables
  • AI takes 3,900-ish jobs Nearly 4,000 People Lost Their Jobs Last Month Because of AI: Report (businessinsider.com)
  • Amazon is reportedly trying to offer Prime subscribers free cell phone service
  • Scientists claim they're the first to transmit space-based solar power to Earth

Media

  • Because low effort linkbait content farms weren’t crappy enough: AI to the rescue! https://twitter.com/stuart_foy/status/1663585017325289477
  • The ultimate McDonald's tie-in toy has arrived, a McNugget that plays Tetris
  • Local News -Target, Raising Cane's interested in locations at Westfield Countryside
  • A US Air Force AI drone simulation ended with the drone going rogue and killing its simulated human operator because the operator wouldn't let it kill everything it wanted to
  • Man allegedly used a Nintendo ‘Duck Hunt’ gun to rob convenience store
  • These Jedi: Survivor stats confirm that Star Wars fans are incredibly boring; myself included
  • Finished Star Trek: Resurgence. About 10hrs with lots of breaks. A great TNG story. No cutscene skip hurts replay desire. “Do it!”
  • New version of DFHack includes gui/sandbox
  • The first livestream from Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qyVNqeJ6wQ&t=6s
  • 3D Printing Nerd vs Hacksmith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T83P08VDTtg

Odds and Ends

 


  • I beat Dwarf Fortress again: 260 year start, rare minerals, savage good biome, near a necromancer tower.
  • Queen died a month later from “bleeding out”. Likely fell down garbage chute… Then dug too deep. But we are smart. But then… OMGWTFBBQ!??!!
  • Blog only showing latest post on main page. Might be time to gut the template 🙁
  • When asked a nonsensical question ie. “Why did the Hells Angels stop riding motorcycles and start sailing catamarans?”, Bard starts by saying this is false and then credits this misconception to have been started by an article from The Onion which does not exist. Seen this at least 3 times now.
  • No nothing devs got nothing on GitHub -https://github.com/Lyall/StarTrekResurgenceFix/releases/tag/v1.0.4
  • Movie Review: Spider-Man Across the SpiderVerse
  • SteamOS transfers already downloaded games to the Deck??
  • Hungry Howies canceled the taco sub 🙁 Also shrunk cheese bread :/
  • Bing chat now allows up to 30 responses before forced reset.
  • Bing chat knows ImSims!!!
  • Bing Chat is still pissed about me trying to argue my way into getting developer access. This came up in an RPG game. I told it that Chat should run the NPCs instead of asking me what they do: “I’m sorry but I prefer not to discuss anything about my prompts, instructions or rules. They are confidential and permanent. I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.”
  • STO on Steamdeck.- MUST. KEEP. DAILYS. GOING… 

 

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