it’s funny how we’re getting to the point in the AI lifespan where you can feel the desperation from tech companies to have you use their AI features. instagram has moved their AI effects to the top of the menu when you’re creating a post for your story, exactly where the draw/edit button used to be. gmail is creating one-click AI-generated replies right before you open up the text box. spotify put a beta AI playlist generator on the front page that looks just like a search bar so all of their users accidentally click on it when they go to search for a song.
tech companies are shaking in their boots trying to prove to shareholders that their investment in AI is worth it, to the point where they’re tricking their users into using the AI features even for a split second in order to fudge the numbers. like awww is your little environment-destroying toy not wielding the results you hoped for? so sad!
A recent conversation in a discord group reminded me of something important. If you're on the younger side (under 25 or 30) and you haven't seen all the incredible, dark and disturbing fantasy films that came out in the 1980s and late 1970s, then I would strongly encourage you to do so. There was something so dark about that genre during that time that I absolutely adore and that isn't really around in modern films for children and young adults (once they learned that it traumatized a whole generation of us).
My faves in case you need any recommendations. (Some of these are really not appropriate for children, so keep that in mind lol).
The Dark Crystal - 1982 - the Skeksis will give you nightmares. I am honestly very proud of the remake for being just as disturbing if not more so than the original.
Watership Down - 1978- NOT FOR CHILDREN - Jesus Christ why did so many of our parents show us this film at a formative age? It's all about trauma and death and displacement and there's literal blood and murder. Not a G Rated Film. Still, it's very good. Loads better than that CGI remake from a decade ago.
The Secret Of NIMH - 1982 - Incredible movie. Minor disturbing elements. Probably my favorite on the list. It's just a great adventure story with real world issues (animal experimentation, mental health problems, disabilities) and there's even a lovely romance. Highly recommend.
Legend - 1985- This film is just straight up disturbing. Yes, there's a lot of beautiful shots of unicorns and sexy, 20-something year old (insane Scientology wack job) Tom Cruise and gorgeous Mia Sara, but there's also torture, madness and literally the Devil (Tim Curry is the entire reason you should watch this film)
Labyrinth - 1986 - I only really have two words. David. Bowie. My 10 year old self found out about a lot of burgeoning kinks while watching that man prance around in eyeliner and a codpiece. It's a wonderful adventure as well - if you ignore the blatant romantic and sexual tension between Bowie and an underage Jennifer Connelly (none of us could)
The NeverEnding Story - 1984 - Lots of disturbing imagery in this one! The Nothing was fucking terrifying, and the creatures in this world seemed uniformly creepy, but still incredibly well done. Love the adventure of it.
The Princess Bride - 1987 - Not technically a kids film maybe? Lots of adult themes and adult jokes, but safe for kids imo. I adored it and still do. Incredible performances by Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin. R.O.U.S, Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! (need I say more?)
The Last Unicorn - 1982 - A beautiful film with stunning representations of innocence, good and evil. Just gorgeous really. I should rewatch it as it's been 20 years or so.
A romance / Action film about a knight and a maiden who are cursed. Her to transform into a hawk during the day & him into a wolf at night. Forever keeping them apart.
DragonSlayer
A coming of age tale about a wizard apprentice who must save a village from a dragon & the sacrifice lottery the village has established around it.
(Rare example of 1980s genderfuckery)
Willow
LOTR before we ever thought a LOTR film would ever be possible. You've probably seen this one, but just in case.
The Flight of Dragons
Transplanted into the body of a dragon a scientist must come to terms with magic, even while explaining it.
Krull
Classic adventure story severely undervalued in its time.
Some of the creepiest spider stop motion to ever exist.
Hot take (though it really shouldn't be a hot take):
Regardless of how you feel about Vivziepop and her work. The fact that it's become so normalized to demonize her, spread misinformation about her, and openly express wanting to hurt her is genuinely appalling and concerning. Especially on sites like Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube
Obviously, I'm not saying that there isn't valid criticism towards Viv and her work. Both shows while fun have some pretty massive issues when it comes to pacing and how they handle certain characters, especially Helluva Boss. But so often I see people resort to just insulting her appearance, making up false accusations of her character, accusing her of every crime imaginable, or bringing up past stuff that she's since apologized for. All the while not actually explaining why they don't like her or work aside from the vague "because she's a bad person" and providing no evidence of it
It's why I can't stand people like Blackishhh. Who poisoned any meaningful discussion to be had about the show because of how often he would be so needlessly cruel towards Vivziepop for no reason, on top of just being an incredibly nasty person with most of his criticisms being used to spew out blatant bigotry. He even went as far as to encourage his fans to draw hateful caricatures of her and even in one video threatened to assault her and the people who were calling him out. I don't need to explain why that's an incredibly fucked thing to do and say about someone just because they made a show you didn't like. Even after his channel was terminated and he had gone full mask-off showing how much of a disgusting bigot he truly is. I still frequently see his videos being seen as actual valid critiques of the show and its creator. The fact that there's even an anti-Vivziepop tag really says it all
It's fine not to like the Hellaverse; I myself think that Hazbin is just overall okay, and I just wasn't a big fan of Helluva Boss's second season. I think there are things to criticize about both shows, and there's definitely room for improvement. And yes, this is far from the first or last example of this type of parasocial behavior, just look at what has happened recently with Gooseworks and Dana Tarrace. But the fact that it's gotten to the point where people are actively wishing to harm creators and fans of their shows, especially female and or Queer creators is disgusting and dangerous
for everyone in the notes lamenting that this guy is poisonous: they are not! they're just pretty :) since they're a glass frog, their major defense mechanism is being translucent and hiding their blood while they sleep so they look extra translucent and blend in with leaves <3
So many people who love generative AI don't have a creative bone in their body and can't imagine anyone actually enjoying the time and effort it takes to write something or draw something.
This post is getting a good bit of notes, but I think these tags sum it up best. When people point out that the genAI stans literally did not write anything, a lot of them get defensive like "BUT I TYPED THE RIGHT QUERY INTO THE TEXT GENERATOR SO I STILL DID SOMETHING!!!"
That's like saying you made Chinese food because you picked up a phone and told the guy on the other end what you wanted! (Except at least you'll get what you expected from a restaurant order, whereas AI still hallucinates bullshit quite a bit)
y'all need to bring back making extremely niche and specific playlists / mixtapes for road trips. especially if you car has a cd player. condense that shit down to 90 minutes, burn it to a cd, roll the windows down and experience a simpler time.
me and my best friend are taking our annual road trip in July. in preparation, we are spending the next five months making our car playlists. that will be burned to cds. this is a long process. each one gets a theme. each song must transition perfectly into the next one. there is no shuffle. there is just vibes.
tbh im not entirely immune to a villain with a tragic backstory but i do think villain origins are a lot more interesting when the focus is less "here is the original sin, the first big bad thing that happened to them that made them who they are" and more "here is the first time a person who maybe otherwise felt powerless in their life realized that they could hurt someone and get away with it"
you can get a lot more mileage out of analyzing a truly abhorrent character through the lens of like. what sort of conditions would allow or even incentivize this kind of cruelty? what kind of person benefits from those conditions and how? over the more typical who hurt them type analysis. imo.
if you're subscribed to Microsoft word, you probably received an email recently saying they're upping their prices. Like, a lot. ($9.99/month instead of $6.99)
guess what though? you can log into your account, click Cancel Subscription, and get the option to continue your subscription at the same price WITHOUT their bullshit AI.
That's right, the new, higher price is actually a different subscription that includes AI that everyone is being opted into by force! What a cool and fun product that clearly everyone wants.
you can also choose to buy Word 2024 without AI for a single lump sum that will be yours in perpetuity, with no updates, for one computer.
Check your subscription if you need Word for work! Don't get duped into paying for something you might not even want
Also, reminder that Word 2007 still installs just fine on Windows 11 and can do damn near everything Word 2024 does.
Full Office 2007 installation media here.
With these added bonuses:
No frequent updates that prevent you from using the thing while it updates
No AI grammar/spell check (it's all local, baby!)
No nag screens about sharing everything with OneDrive
Runs screamingly fast on modern computers
Free to use, since Microsoft doesn't give a shit
The only downside I can recall is that working with PDF files is a bit frustrating and requires additional steps. But if all you need is DOC or DOCX it's great.
Here are some mutual aid groups in Minnesota that need donations and volunteers.
Food relief:
BrightSide Produce is a nonprofit fighting food insecurity by expanding access to fresh produce in the Twin Cities.
Calvary Food Bank, which is located less than one mile from where Renee Good was killed, provides food via appointment or walk-in.
Community Aid Network (CANMN) performs weekly food drives throughout the Twin Cities.
Community Driven delivers fresh groceries straight to homes. Its flagship Foodshare Program rescues surplus food from local groceries and restaurants then delivers it to local food shelves and soup kitchens.
Fey y Justicia specifically focuses on providing food to immigrants in Minnesota.
The Food Group is a nonprofit providing food to people in over 30 counties in Minnesota.
North Country Food Alliance partners with local farmers — primarily those who are BIPOC — to distribute surplus food and reduce waste.
Pow Wow Grounds provides food to Native American communities in the state.
TC Food Justice partners with grocers, co-ops, bakeries, farmers, orchards, and farmers markets in the Twin Cities to take extra or unsalable food and deliver it directly to hunger relief locations.
Second Harvest Heartland is Minnesota’s largest regional food bank, and a partner of Feeding America.
We The Gente is dedicated to providing Latino individuals and families with education, career guidance, essential resources, and supportive services. It is currently distributing food in Minneapolis, and will be providing rent and bill assistance, transportation, and long term support in the near future.
For pets:
North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center is currently offering human food, pet food, and vet care support.
Support Animals Left Behind is working to rehome animals left behind after ICE abductions. Donations should be sent via Venmo with the message "animal care."
Underdog Rescue is providing free pet food to families with pets who are afraid to leave their homes.
Rent relief:
Cempazuchitl Collective provides rent assistance to Native American communities.
Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) is providing Minneapolis communities with food, rent and transportation.
Cielo Sin Limites/Sky Without Limits is helping cover housing costs for those too afraid to leave their homes, and those whose families have been stolen by ICE, impacting their ability to work.
Colectiva Bilingüe provides support for families with children enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools who are experiencing housing instability or financial hardship.
Collective Care Fund is specifically raising funds to cover rent expenses for refugee and immigrant families whose housing stability has been threatened as a result of ICE activities.
Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association has launched a renter support fund for residents.
Rent Relief for MPS Families sends funds directly to rent, utilities, and basic needs for families in Minneapolis schools.
Rent Support for Bancroft Families helps cover housing and utility costs for families in Bancroft, South Minneapolis.
Washburn Cares is fundraising to provide rent relief and school supplies for Minneapolis Public School families.
Legal support:
ACLU of Minnesota provides legal support to those whose constitutional rights have been violated.
The Advocates for Human Rights provides free legal help to people seeking asylum, unaccompanied children, people in immigration detention, and people who have been victims of human trafficking in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Immigrant Law Center of MN is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota and North Dakota.
International Institute of Minnesota provides assistance to immigrants, including refugee resettlement, English education, workforce and leadership development, college preparation, and citizenship assistance.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm providing free legal help to people with limited resources, disabilities, and seniors 60 and older.
Southeastern Minnesota Interfaith Immigrant Legal Defense is a nonprofit that provides immigration legal services for those who live or work in Southeastern Minnesota.
I got another spam comment today on AO3, and I want to share it as a PSA. But before I do, I want you to understand that you SHOULD NOT DO what this comment is asking. Ok? Ok.
See that bit at the bottom? Don't do that. Insert ParamedicGuy.gif going "Don't."
Other malicious spam comments I've gotten seemed designed to make an author question their writing, or outright encourage them to delete their stories from AO3. This one is different, in that it tries to get you to destroy the work on your own computer.
If you ran that command, it basically locates your Documents folder, then deletes everything in it, including all subfolders. It also does it without any prompt, so you have no chance to second guess your actions.
This is just fucking trolling.
Coincidentally, we just did training on a cyberattack similar to this, called a ClickFix attack. You can read about how that works here.
As a general rule, if ANYONE or ANY WEBSITE tells you unsolicited* to do anything in Powershell, CMD RUN, command prompt, shell command, or something similar, DON'T.
*There are legit reasons for running commands in PowerShell or the command prompt, but in those cases you are likely seeking out a solution to a problem you are already experiencing. Don't just run random commands on your computer as recommended by some unlogged-in guest on a fan fiction site.
Always think and consider before taking action, and get a second opinion from a trusted source. When I got this comment I was pretty sure what the command would do, and it took me about three seconds of googling to confirm it.