Alex's even longer post thread.

[Alex]

There were a few other gaming-related gifts, but my favorite so far is this:

That movie produced a piece of trivia which really made me LOL when I read about it. 

And you aren't going to tell us what it is?

[Alex]

I've been reassessing some long-held assumptions over computers, A.I. and whatnot over the past few months. I'd always thought that yeah, it will replace people in certain jobs, but the more artistic side of things would be fine. That, however, seems to be incorrect.

If eventually, machines can do everything we can do what then is the point of us?

I don't think that we are going to have a Terminator-style robot revolution. That is people assuming that a computer-based lifeform would have the same kind of motivations as we do. They lack the millions of years of evolution, growing up within a structured society with all of its rules, regulations, and punishments we've grown up with, and how life experiences have altered our perceptions of reality. Thinking we can understand how what a new lifeform will do or how it will act is just plain stupid. Believing that we can just program them to do exactly what we want and they will never act outside of that is equally foolish. I remember reading about how some antlike, tiny robots had been developed with the idea they could map out closed environments. You pour them, for example into an air vent and they run around inside and I presume they transmit backtracking data and you get a map of the area. I guess it would be useful for rescuing people in collapsed buildings, mapping out cave networks, maybe some specialised military use (and no doubt something criminals could also use?). Anyway, the robots did this, but they did it in ways they weren't programmed to. For example, if they got to an obstacle they couldn't climb up, they'd form a pyramid, and other robots would climb up them to get over it. Nothing that had been programmed into them allowed for that level of cooperation.

A theoretical machine society wouldn't need a war to wipe us out. They could simply out-compete us for resources. After all, in a closed ecosystem, the extinction of a weaker species is inevitable. Rather than an army of humanoid robots marching to war against human armies, I'd imagine some kind of nanobot would be a more efficient way of killing us off. If you've ever been caught by a swarm of bees or similar creatures, you'll know exactly how hard it is to fight off tiny creatures. I think though, a more gradual extinction would be more likely, us going the same way as many of our related species went. Simply outcompeted. Hell, with the way things are going with robot sex dolls, it wouldn't surprise me, if we became absorbed into their (for want of a better term), bloodline the way some other ones were brought into ours. Ultimately though, as I said, trying to figure out the motives and actions of something so completely alien to ourselves is a fairly futile exercise.

Just have a think about what you are doing though, the next time you use some A.I. art. What is going to be the next step? When will be see an entirely A.I. created movie with computerised actors, not even voice actors? Maybe they'll be about the level of Ed Wood. Maybe not. If you can create a movie though without having to pay people, risk being shut down by writers' strikes, bad weather, actors getting injured and the myriad of other potential problems then why not do it that way and avoid all the hassle?

[Alex]

So I've been painting up a figure of Darth Vadar, and got him all finished. I found the black paint was chipping easily, so I decided to give him a non-glossy varnish. Took the figure out to the garage and set him up.

Shame I picked up the wrong can of paint, and instead hit him with a blast of white undercoat.

Be painting that one again then, which is a shame because I'd done a not-bad job on it.

[ER]

I've been reassessing some long-held assumptions over computers, A.I. and whatnot over the past few months. I'd always thought that yeah, it will replace people in certain jobs, but the more artistic side of things would be fine. That, however, seems to be incorrect.

If eventually, machines can do everything we can do what then is the point of us?

I don't think that we are going to have a Terminator-style robot revolution. That is people assuming that a computer-based lifeform would have the same kind of motivations as we do. They lack the millions of years of evolution, growing up within a structured society with all of its rules, regulations, and punishments we've grown up with, and how life experiences have altered our perceptions of reality. Thinking we can understand how what a new lifeform will do or how it will act is just plain stupid. Believing that we can just program them to do exactly what we want and they will never act outside of that is equally foolish. I remember reading about how some antlike, tiny robots had been developed with the idea they could map out closed environments. You pour them, for example into an air vent and they run around inside and I presume they transmit backtracking data and you get a map of the area. I guess it would be useful for rescuing people in collapsed buildings, mapping out cave networks, maybe some specialised military use (and no doubt something criminals could also use?). Anyway, the robots did this, but they did it in ways they weren't programmed to. For example, if they got to an obstacle they couldn't climb up, they'd form a pyramid, and other robots would climb up them to get over it. Nothing that had been programmed into them allowed for that level of cooperation.

A theoretical machine society wouldn't need a war to wipe us out. They could simply out-compete us for resources. After all, in a closed ecosystem, the extinction of a weaker species is inevitable. Rather than an army of humanoid robots marching to war against human armies, I'd imagine some kind of nanobot would be a more efficient way of killing us off. If you've ever been caught by a swarm of bees or similar creatures, you'll know exactly how hard it is to fight off tiny creatures. I think though, a more gradual extinction would be more likely, us going the same way as many of our related species went. Simply outcompeted. Hell, with the way things are going with robot sex dolls, it wouldn't surprise me, if we became absorbed into their (for want of a better term), bloodline the way some other ones were brought into ours. Ultimately though, as I said, trying to figure out the motives and actions of something so completely alien to ourselves is a fairly futile exercise.

Just have a think about what you are doing though, the next time you use some A.I. art. What is going to be the next step? When will be see an entirely A.I. created movie with computerised actors, not even voice actors? Maybe they'll be about the level of Ed Wood. Maybe not. If you can create a movie though without having to pay people, risk being shut down by writers' strikes, bad weather, actors getting injured and the myriad of other potential problems then why not do it that way and avoid all the hassle?

Check out Ai Freddie Mercury covering Yesterday....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNcRMm9BLw

[Alex]

It kinda sounds like him in parts.

[Alex]

Did my first parents' evening up at the school. Boy things have changed since I was a schoolboy. Mostly it struck me as improvements. They have a suggested uniform rather than a mandatory one (just as well because I am very well aware of how most schools that insist on a uniform actually break the law on how parents can get it, costing them extra money. If you want my child to follow your school rules, then you best be following the rules yourself). I have my doubts of whether Ash is ready for school yet, but even if I could delay his entry for a year, I am not convinced he'd be ready then. They told us the curriculum for starting out and I was sitting there thinking "Well, he can already count quite happily, and knows his shapes and colours, so he has a start there." I thought it was sad though that the deputy head begged parents to read to their children. It seems many children start school without owning a single book. Hell, I could read at quite a high level before I went anywhere near a school. When I did start school, the books they gave us were insultingly simple for me. I could happily sit and read a newspaper, while they were giving me books with "Dick see's the ball. Jane sees the ball. Dick throws the ball to Jane."

Anyway, the kids now get to have a bottle of water with them and a snack (they did ask parents not to make this sweets, but didn't forbid it either). My concern though is that Ash just does not like noise and crowds. The pandemic really didn't help there as mum and dad became Ash's world. He didn't see other kids or get to play with them for 18 months. Still, he was at a birthday party and was playing chases with another boy and girl, so I am taking that as a good sign.

Think I upset Kristi a little in our D&D game last night. She is playing a chaotic cleric, while I am playing a very uptight lawful paladin. We were negotiating with some goblin-like creatures who we haven't seen doing anything wrong, although we suspect they are up to no good. Anyway, in the middle of talks, Kristi pulls out her mace and starts attacking the goblin. My character then demanded she put down her people and persuaded the rest of the party not to join in. Eventually, peace was restored, but Kristi had taken a fair bit of damage.

I can just tell I am going to pay for this in the future. She is the main healer in the group. 

[chefzombie]

sweetie, i'm not trying to upset you or your sweet wife. BUT. it's time for ash to go into total immersion into the reality he hasn't been living with, and you say that yourself. you're going to be moving, you don't know where yet, and he HAS to be able to live in the real world. you can get mad at me if you need to, and i'll accept that, but i think you know i'm right.

[Alex]

We might not be moving. Await further updates there. For better or for worse Ash will be going to school after the summer. What we are doing is getting him as much support for that as possible. He isn't being hidden away from the real world, but there is only so much of it he can handle at one time.

[chefzombie]

We might not be moving. Await further updates there. For better or for worse Ash will be going to school after the summer. What we are doing is getting him as much support for that as possible. He isn't being hidden away from the real world, but there is only so much of it he can handle at one time.

oh, i know you don't hide him at all, in fact you've done more to show him the world than many parents i know. i do hope you don't have to move, i know you love your house, and your beloved lossie.

[Alex]

So with my Friday night campaign having ended on a slight anti-climax, I get to work on a fresh campaign. I am working on a one shot based on a lot of B horror movies.

Kristi watched the whole Eurovision thing last night. Everytime I looked around there was some stupidly dressed twat prancing around the stage. I was more paying attention to the movies I was watching (with headphones on). I did kind of hear some decent tunes, but nothing that would make me want to vote for any of the songs. Shame Germany didn't do better. They had some sort of heavy metal song going on (Blood & Glitter I think it was called, but I could be wrong). Anyway, as far as I saw, it came last. To the best of my knowledge, Sweden won but it might have been Australia or Israel for all I really watched.

The rest of the family are out for a walk. Got a load of housework done this morning and was generally productive. Kristi kept sneezing on me last night and is unhappy that I am annoyed about that. Put your hand over your damn face, or turn your head. I think though her reaction when I complained about it p**sed me off more than the act itself. It isn't that hard not to spray your snot on someone. She starts her new job on Wednesday. I am looking forward to her having her own job and money. I think it will be good for her.

On Discord I can see what my friends are playing. Not that I especially want to or care, but one of my friends seems to be playing Power Wash Simulator a lot. HE must be leading a much more exciting life than I realised, because that just sounds like a whole package of boredom to me.

Maybe cleaning with a powerwash is just more fun than I had hithero considered?

The family are all back and Ash is like a limpit beside me. He's watching some cartoons while hanging on to my right arm, which doesn't make typing any easier. Kristi is in pain for some reason, so she's relaxing in a hot bath to ease the muscle aches. Growing older ain't no fun.

[Alex]

Taking some time to binge on horror movies. For some strange reason, recently I've been finding I've been getting somewhat squeamish about watching them when for years I've sat and watched pretty much anything without batting an eyelid. I blame fatherhood. It seems to have changed me in all sorts of ways.

Anyway, I am attempting to reclaim that part of me. If I get the job I am going for, I might just need it.

Been doing some more work moving things around in the mancave, making better use of my storage space.

For the first time, I finally have all my roleplaying books all in the one place.



At the top are my World of Darkness books, then my D&D 3.5 books on the second. Next one down is my Call of Cthulhu stuff and assorted random game, mostly sci-fi. Finally, on the bottom, we have more random games Warhammer and then my 5th ed D&D which I am looking at getting rid of.

Hey Barri, for once you can get to make out book titles if you really want.  


My figure storage is coming along too. Got all my Star Wars ships up from where they'd had to live downstairs (Scum & Villany fleet on the left, Rebels in the middle and Imperials on the right. Below them is my figure collection. The shelf beneath that will have more of those boxes on it, but that is a project for next month.



I've cleared off stuff from our cabinets downstairs, which will allow Kristi to display her ornaments a bit better. I've been wanting to give her an area where she can display her Jim Shore collection and so on.

[RCMerchant]

Your house is full of more junk than mine! 

[Alex]

Nice collection mate. When I get the man cave tidied up a bit, I'll show you some pictures of the whole thing.

[RCMerchant]

Cool! Call me weird- but I like looking at folks collections.
I had lots more action figure monsters on the book shelves, but I gave them to my grandson Theo to play with.
I'm not a plastic bag, original box kinda guy.

[chefzombie]

Taking some time to binge on horror movies. For some strange reason, recently I've been finding I've been getting somewhat squeamish about watching them when for years I've sat and watched pretty much anything without batting an eyelid. I blame fatherhood. It seems to have changed me in all sorts of ways.

Anyway, I am attempting to reclaim that part of me. If I get the job I am going for, I might just need it.

Been doing some more work moving things around in the mancave, making better use of my storage space.

For the first time, I finally have all my roleplaying books all in the one place.



At the top are my World of Darkness books, then my D&D 3.5 books on the second. Next one down is my Call of Cthulhu stuff and assorted random game, mostly sci-fi. Finally, on the bottom, we have more random games Warhammer and then my 5th ed D&D which I am looking at getting rid of.

Hey Barri, for once you can get to make out book titles if you really want.  


My figure storage is coming along too. Got all my Star Wars ships up from where they'd had to live downstairs (Scum & Villany fleet on the left, Rebels in the middle and Imperials on the right. Below them is my figure collection. The shelf beneath that will have more of those boxes on it, but that is a project for next month.



I've cleared off stuff from our cabinets downstairs, which will allow Kristi to display her ornaments a bit better. I've been wanting to give her an area where she can display her Jim Shore collection and so on.

darling man, my eyesight has narrowed and dimmed a bit recently, so no, i can't see them. but that's okay, i don't play anymore anyway.
  tell kristi congrats and good luck with the new job, yay !