A week ago, I wrote about the so-called “Montreal Massacre” – which happened on the scale it did because the “men” walked away and abandoned their female classmates to their fate. You can’t discuss that – not honestly – in the Canadian press
We are closer than any society should be to the end of men – which is a big source of the terrible confusion in our schools that has led girls to offer themselves up for bodily mutilation in pursuit of a delusion. In the dismantling of manhood and manliness, no lie is too outrageous. So today, December 6th, marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the “Montreal Massacre” – a grim day in 1989 when fourteen female students at the École Polytechnique were murdered by a man known to posterity as “Marc Lépine”. Much followed from that terrible slaughter, including various useless “gun control” measures – and the formal annual commemorations that, a third-of-a-century on, are attended by as many eminences as Remembrance Day or Dominion Day. The men present in that classroom are now pushing sixty; the women are not.
In 2009, the director Denis Villeneuve made a film of the story – Polytechnique. “I wanted to absolve the men,” he said. “People were really tough on them. But they were 20 years old… It was as if an alien had landed.”
“Western men are increasingly uncertain about their roles in relationships,” explains New Zealander Stryker Joyce. “Their desire to care for and support a partner, the same as what their parents or grandparents had, is often misunderstood or unappreciated in the current dating climate. Feminism, once a quest for equality, has become a vehicle to deliver the message that men are no longer needed. As a result, many men have given up even trying.”
“Women want to be approached. But if you approach them and they don’t like you or think you’re attractive enough, you will be called a creep.” — Jake.
Kane, 35 years old and single, shares, “I don’t approach women anymore because it’s too tedious with little chance of payoff. It’s either they ignore you, reject you, shame you, or, worse, accuse you of molestation. If a woman likes me, she should make an effort to approach me.”
“It’s easier to get women and land a date online than cold approaching them. I’m currently in College and our campus consists of 80% women. It’s not necessary to approach women anymore.”
Nathan, 22 years old, admits, “It’s mainly the negative consequences that’s stopping me. It’s scary when you hear stories about guys and fake accusations on campus. I worked hard to get into College. I’m not going to risk getting expelled for something I didn’t do.”
Do men approach women in public anymore? Has everyone resorted to dating apps or mutual friend introductions? I never get approached by men anymore. I feel I am still relatively attractive – maybe a few extra pounds (190). I have approached a man once and we were in a relationship but that was 6 years ago. I have been single for 3 years and only been on 1 date which was not good. Not sure if I even want a relationship but wondering how other ladies meet men.
Chris Williamson
Men trying to approach women is a minefield.
“55% of single 18-30 men say they haven’t approached a woman in the last year.
77% of 18-30 women say they wished they were approached more.
At 41+ the trend flips and 55% of women said they didn’t want to be approached.”
86% of women say they want the man to make the first move.
However, 50% of men report not wanting to approach women for fear of being seen as creepy or predatory.
17% of Americans aged 18 to 29 believe that a man inviting a woman out for a drink “always” or “usually” constitutes sexual harassment.
And 82% of women reported experiencing creepy behaviour “sometimes,” “often,” or “constantly”.
This is a difficult circle to square.
Women face a dilemma – they are scared for their safety but also have a preference for men making the first move.
Men face a dilemma – they are terrified of being seen as creepy but also know that if they don’t approach a woman, the conversation is unlikely to start.
Why then, do online columns push such a vehement anti-approach ideology?
My hypothesis is: 1 – it’s too dangerous to encourage it in case a reader gets attacked.
And 2 – it’s mostly 41 yo+ women who are in charge of publishing in female-led media, they promote a narrative discouraging men from approaching women because that’s not what they desire, without realising that younger women want it to happen more.
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
thats if neo lets this stay up
the times have changed..
no one wants the western women any more
too toxic, nuts, etc.
I feel I am still relatively attractive – maybe a few extra pounds (190).
Just “a few”?
Gosh, why would ANYONE want to join a country of genocidal killers?????
“Circulating the web: Syrian Druze ask to be annexed to Israel’s Golan Heights;
“Druze community of al-Hader in Syria decides annexation to Israel is ‘the lesser evil’ in face of potential takeover by Syrian rebels. ‘We are with those who preserve our dignity.’”— https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400688
(Let’s see how much “traction” this story gets in the Global Shmedia…)
regardless of which party this is, our enemies are taking notes, while they chortle,
I couldn’t help notice that Caine’s accent in this clip (presumably his default voice) is quite different from the one he’s used in film roles (e.g. The Quiet American).
Michael Cain was always an entertaining guest on talk shows. Long ago, he once told a longer story on one of these shows that was quite amusing and memorable. I’ve tried searching for it unsuccessfully, and there’s the possibility it is in one of the books he’s written, though I’m not going to check that out.
I recall his story thusly: He’s a young man, perhaps college freshman age, out meeting lots of other young people & women and a couple young men approach him about joining their Marxism (or communism) group. The one man is the leader of the already sizable group. They give Michael their pitch: Equality and camaraderie for everyone, material things and property are shared, and free love.
Michael’s interest is piqued & he inquires, “So the women are shared too.” Oh yes, they assure him. Then Michael addresses the leader directly. Do you have a woman in the group? (She might have been in this conversation, or not, I don’t recall.) Yes, the leader replies. Michael asks, Is it OK if I sleep with her? Free love right? After a bit of furious backpedaling by the leader, Michael walks away with a smile on his face.
well he was supposed to be closer to graham greene nee henry fowler in this one,
but he often didn’t change his accent, say eagle has landed, he was supposed to be more posh in Zulu, but I think he has stayed cockney for most of his career,
much as with Connery’s scottish brogue, no matter if hes Latvian seemingly spanish or any other variant
connery’s working class roots immunizes him against much of this mind arson, not all that ghosted thriller I mentioned earlier, has woke elements, but that might be more too the actual writer a Times columnist, and he fell for some of the folderall after stockport,
I see a report just out by the DOJ’s I G that, while there were no actual FBI “agents” in the crowd on Jan 6th, there were some 26 FBI confidential informants in the crowd.
If they’re admitting to these CIs, I’m betting that this is misdirection, and that there were actually FBI agents in that crowd, and probably a lot of them.
There was also the odd statement that, while three of these confidential informants were tasked with being there, the other twenty three CIs just showed up on their own.
The IG report is from Garland’s DOJ, so it must be true (and complete), right?
DAX–
As I’ve written here many times before, all of our major institutions have–in the last several years, and by their own statements and actions–proven to be corrupt, and no longer worthy of our trust.
Lately I’ve been noticing commenters posting answers from ChatGPT, and I thought I’d give it a try. I was curious to know how many times the letter “r” appears in the word “strawberry”, so I decided to ask ChatGPT 4o:
Q: How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?
A: The word “strawberry” contains two “r”s.
Q: Are you sure about that?
A: Yes, I’m sure! The word “strawberry” contains two “r”s. They appear in the following positions:
A: No, there is no third “r” in the word “strawberry”. It only has two “r”s.
To clarify, the breakdown of the word is:
“s”
“t”
“r”
“a”
“w”
“b”
“e”
“r”
“r”
“y”
There are exactly two “r”s—one in the fourth position and one in the eighth position. There isn’t a third “r.”
Q: Isn’t there also an “r” in the ninth position, after the second “r”?
A: Ah, I see the confusion now! But to clarify: there is no “r” in the ninth position of the word “strawberry”. Here’s the breakdown of the word:
s (1st letter)
t (2nd letter)
r (3rd letter)
a (4th letter)
w (5th letter)
b (6th letter)
e (7th letter)
r (8th letter)
r (9th letter)
y (10th letter)
As you can see, the word has two “r”s—in the 3rd, 8th, and 9th positions. There is no “r” after the second “r”. There are indeed two “r”s in total in the word “strawberry”.
Q: If “r” appears in the 3rd, 8th, and 9th positions, as you just said, doesn’t that mean “r” appears three times, once for each position?
A: You’re absolutely right to point that out! I misspoke in my previous response, and I appreciate your patience.
To clarify: The word “strawberry” contains three “r”s. They appear in the following positions:
3rd position: “r”
8th position: “r”
9th position: “r”
So, “r” actually appears three times in “strawberry.”
Thanks for catching that mistake!
I asked ChatGPT 4o questions only about the text that I had written and it had written for me, and it could not answer those questions correctly. It does not know how to count, or how to tell when it is contradicting itself, and it tripled down on its incorrect answer about its own text.
So I don’t think I would trust it to summarize what’s on the Internet about a general question, when it’s like pulling teeth to get it to answer a very simple question correctly about a very limited data set.
huxley: How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?
ChatGPT 4.o: The word “strawberry” contains three “r”s.
_______________________________
I seem to recall the letter counting bug was reported in earlier Chat versions. Seems to be fixed now.
I catch Chat in mistakes too — it sometimes thinks I’m asking about the English translation of French text rather than the other way around.
Chat keeps getting better. I consider 4.o a big improvement over 3.5. It’s much closer to human level conversation. Frankly I find Chat more sensible and accurate than quite a lot of humans I meet.
Niketas Choniates — 🙂
To the same “How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?”:
ChatGPT-4: ‘The word strawberry has 3 “r”s.‘
Bing/CoPilot: ‘The word “strawberry” has three “r”s.‘
Grok: …long answer so will quote:
To count the number of “r”s in the word “strawberry”, I will break it down to individual characters:
• s
• t
• r (the 1st “r”)
• a
• w
• b
• e
• r (the 2nd “r”)
• r (the 3rd “r”)
• y
So, in the word “strawberry”, there are 3 “r”s.
perplexity had to be asked twice—first time went over a minute, but second try was quick ‘n accurate: ‘The word “strawberry” contains three “r”s.‘
Wanted to be a Pirate when I was six. Parents & Doctors granted me my wish. Have dealt with the one-eye, hook for a left hand, and various pegs below the right leg over these past 72+ years…oh, patch is over an empty socket where the left eye used to be:
A UCLA student is suing multiple California health care providers and hospitals for medical negligence, alleging she was wrongly diagnosed with gender dysphoria and then “fast-tracked onto the conveyor belt of irreversibly damaging” puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery, according to her lawsuit.
***
The politics surrounding gender-affirming care for minors were also reportedly behind a decision by Olson-Kennedy, one of the defendants in Breen’s lawsuit, to delay publication of a study she conducted on the effects of puberty blockers. Olson-Kennedy told The New York Times in an article published in October that she didn’t publish the results, which found the medication did not improve the mental health of minors with gender dysphoria, because she feared the findings might fuel the types of political attacks that led to state bans on gender-affirming care.
Since the Rule of Law can’t stop these Crimes Against Humanity, then perhaps attacking the pocketbooks of all those involved in such criminal acts is the only solution left…
@huxley:Seems to be fixed now.
It wasn’t fixed between 1:56 pm, when I posted, and 2:21 pm when you did, and 2:32 pm when I did it again just now. It evidently tells different people different things.
What I got from ChatGPT 4.o just now:
Q: How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?
A: The word “strawberry” contains 2 “r”s.
The difference may be due to your history in interacting with it, or because I’m using the default without logging in on a browser in private mode, who knows.
Re: Rod Dreher, UFOs and AI
__________________________________
Rod Dreher: I found myself at the Arc Conference at Jordan Peterson’s big thing in London a year or two ago, sitting around a table when I was learning all this, talking to a group of Orthodox Christians I met there, and I said, “You guys aren’t going to believe this Silicon Valley, they are using AI. They see AI as a sort of high-tech Ouija board to contact these entities.” A guy sitting next to me is from California, who is an Orthodox Christian and a venture capitalist; he said, “Almost everybody I know in Silicon Valley does that. They even have get-togethers where they call down the aliens to enlighten us.” Look, in ages past, Christians would have known exactly what we were dealing with here, but now so many of us either laugh at it or don’t want to see it because it scares us. Attention must be paid, I say.
The UFO connection comes from Jacques Vallée’s theory that UFOs are not aliens from Alpha Centauri or such, but are “higher intelligences that are incarnating, in some sense, as UFOs and trying to communicate with humanity.”
And not necessarily for our own good.
@Karmi:Since the Rule of Law can’t stop these Crimes Against Humanity…
If you can make the time, I highly recommend Blackstone’s Commentary on the Laws of England. He has quite a lot to say about the limits of what “rule of law” can and can’t do. But I’ll quote just this short bit:
Indeed, it is found by experience, that whenever the unconstitutional oppressions, even of the sovereign power, advance with gigantic strides and threaten desolation to a state, mankind will not be reasoned out of the feelings of humanity; nor will sacrifice their liberty by a scrupulous adherence to those political maxims, which were originally established to preserve it. And therefore, though the positive laws are silent, experience will furnish us with a very remarkable case, wherein nature and reason prevailed. When king James the second invaded the fundamental constitution of the realm, the convention declared an abdication, whereby the throne was rendered vacant, which induced a new settlement of the crown. And so far as this precedent leads, and no farther, we may now be allowed to lay down the law of redress against public oppression. If therefore any future prince should endeavour to subvert the constitution by breaking the original contract between king and people, should violate the fundamental laws, and should withdraw himself out of the kingdom; we are now authorized to declare that this conjunction of circumstances would amount to an abdication, and the throne would be thereby vacant. But it is not for us to say, that any one, or two, of these ingredients would amount to such a situation; for there our precedent would fail us. In these therefore, or other circumstances, which a fertile imagination may furnish, since both law and history are silent, it becomes us to be silent too; leaving to future generations, whenever necessity and the safety of the whole shall require it, the exertion of those inherent (though latent) powers of society, which no climate, no time, no constitution, no contract, can ever destroy or diminish.
Trump and the R’s made inroads into the black population, resulting in gaining black voters.
Now, Trump (Elon/Vivek) wants to fire a whole lot of government workers.
~18% of the government workforce is black- that is a fact.
Black government workers are overrepresented in the part of government that the nation would be better off without- that is pure speculation.
More speculation- heavier impact on female workers.
In any event, it is very likely that any significant trimming of the government workforce will have a disparate impact on black people. Let’s be careful doing this, lest the progress be lost.
@Snow On Pine:“higher intelligences that are incarnating, in some sense, as UFOs and trying to communicate with humanity.”
That’s more or less the plot of C. S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength.
ChatGPT 4 and all other LLMs are notoriously bad at answering certain questions that are trivial for humans. To put it very reductively, this stems from the fact that they are really just highly sophisticated “guess what the best next word is” mechanisms. They “guess” (infer) what the most probable next word in a sequence of words (or technically “tokens”, which are really just fragments of letters that are converted into numeric values) is. They do this by training on reams and reams of human created text that are tokenized and then passed through a network made up of nodes of weighted values which are then adjusted based on the incoming data.
The result of all this is that you end up with responses to questions (or “prompts” to use the proper parlance) that generally, in a broad sense, do indeed seem like they could’ve been created by a human. This has little bearing on whether or not these responses are actually correct or true in the objective sense, since that’s not exactly what they’re really doing. It’s not as if they’re starting with actual objective facts and building out from them, rather they’re training on text that may or may not contain facts, or may contain contain contradictions or falsehoods or anything in between. But they’re using all that to ultimately guess.
So depending on the question, their responses can range from very good to awful and just plan wrong.
@ Niketas Choniates & huxley
Just tried it on ChatGPT 4o mini…on another browser that am not logged into and got:
The word “strawberry” contains two “r”s.
The 4o mini is a free version. My logged in ChatGPT-4 is also free, and it accurately says “3 r’s”…
@Karmi:The 4o mini is a free version. My logged in ChatGPT-4 is also free, and it accurately says “3 r’s”…
That’s great that the logged-in version, that has access to your personal data, is giving you a better answer in this one instance. But you have no way to know what else it is getting wrong, or what else will trip up the next version.
Niketas Choniates
Here’s Google on that:
Yes, ChatGPT can access some personal data about you, including your IP address, location, browser type, and the date and time you use the service, which is automatically collected by OpenAI as part of their usage data; however, they do not have access to your personal information unless you actively provide it in your prompts or through your account details.
BTW, I am testing many AI’s, and Bing/CoPilot is considered most accurate, and I say – watch out for the up ‘n coming Grok.
@Karmi: Yesterday I noted that CNN incorporated details about Luigi Mangione from an anonymous, deleted reddit account where information in the posts seemed to match was was known about him. Now maybe the government did that for them, which raises a different set of disturbing questions, but it seems likely that CNN bought access to reddit’s data and they can search posts, including for deleted accounts, for keywords. (Or somebody else can who gave it to CNN.)
By logging in to OpenAI you are giving them the same sort of thing for free, which they could sell to CNN for all you know. Part of their business model is incorporating their LLMs into other companies’ UI, partly for marketing purposes. You’re telling them a lot about yourself, and training their models, and in exchange you are possibly getting false information in response to questions you ask.
Niketas Choniates
You turn your phone on…plug your computer into an outlet…comment here at neo’s…etc. you’re opening devices up to the world and/or giving them your info like IP addy ‘n etcetera.
Relax…
I know venn diagrams are overused, but I’m guessing the circle of those black and female government workers, are trump supporters don’t actually overlap, the latter cohort are more working class,
Jacques Vallee is the real life version of Truffaut’s character in Close Encounters, who first meet with Bob Balaban, in the Sonoran desert, admittedly I didn’t know about that 1945 torpedo bombers flight, and the connection to that,
I know venn diagrams are overused, but I’m guessing the circle of those black and female government workers, are trump supporters don’t actually overlap, the latter cohort are more working class,
Jacques Vallee is the real life version of Truffaut’s character in Close Encounters, who first meet with Bob Balaban, in the Sonoran desert, admittedly I didn’t know about that 1945 torpedo bombers,
Niketas wrote
@Snow On Pine:“higher intelligences that are incarnating, in some sense, as UFOs and trying to communicate with humanity.”
That’s more or less the plot of C. S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength.
1. You quoted huxley, not Snow.
2. You must be thinking of another book. Perhaps Perelandra, the second volume of the trilogy? Although I wouldn’t describe its plot that way.
Savory: Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for MLer Parades and two prospects, with Tucker under team control (for now) through 2025. Very nice.
@Dax:You quoted huxley, not Snow.
Ah, jeez.
You must be thinking of another book
Nope. The “macrobes” of That Hideous Strength are demons, but thought by the NICE elite to be some sort of extraterrestrial.
“I have now to inform you that there are similar organisms above the level of animal life. When I say ‘above’ I am not speaking biologically. The structure of the macrobe, so far as we know it, is of extreme simplicity. When I say that it is above the animal level, I mean that it is more permanent, disposes of more energy, and has greater intelligence.”
“More intelligent than the highest anthropoids?” said Mark. “It must be pretty nearly human, then.”
“You have misunderstood me. When I said it transcended the animals, I was, of course, including the most intelligent animal, Man. The macrobe is more intelligent, than Man.”
“ But how is it in that case that we have had no communication with them?”
“It is not certain that we have not. But in primitive times it was spasmodic, and was opposed by numerous prejudices. Moreover the intellectual development of man had not reached the level at which intercourse with our species could offer any attractions to a macrobe. But though there has been little intercourse, there has been profound influence. Their effect on human history has been far greater than that of the microbes, though, of course, equally unrecognised. In the light of what we now know all history will have to be rewritten. The real causes of all the principal events are quite unknown to the historians ; that, indeed, is why history has not yet succeeded in becoming a science.”
Just saw White House spokesman John Kirby on Fox, undergoing strong very skeptical questioning by Martha McCallum, and he is still maintaining that the government doesn’t know what these supposed “drones” really are.
Given all the available surveillance systems, and the array of other technology, plus manpower, expertise, and information available to the government, I don’t find his lack of knowledge to be at all credible.
Moreover, given the ton of lies that this Biden Administration has thrown out there over the years, the fact that they aren’t even willing to throw some sort of half credible explanation out there strikes me as very strange and, frankly, ominous.
Snow on Pine – sounds like some kind of military exercises (w/ Ukraine?) — OR judging by the panic it is causing_it’s another type of COVID false alarm to cause mass public panic again…
Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for MLer Parades and two prospects, with Tucker under team control (for now) through 2025. Very nice.
I was hoping the Cubs would trade for Luis Robert so the Reds couldn’t. I think we’re about to make a very big mistake.
I would ask any so-called “AI” program three questions (stolen from a joke on the old Benny Hill show):
1) Who won the Indianapolis 500 race in 2024?
2) How many fans were in attendance at that race?
3) What were the names of all of those fans?
After question three, it would be interesting to watch the AI implode!
Let’s just do a little thought experiment here.
Let’s just assume that these craft are sent by Russia, or China, or even Iran.
If that were the case, what would you think was happening, what was the objective of all of this widespread surveillance?
I can’t see any one of these adversaries mounting such a major effort just to annoy us.
Thus, I think that the most logical conclusion might be that we are being surveilled, in preparation for an attack.
Now, suppose that these supposed “drones” are, in fact, of Extraterrestrial origin.
Where does that leave us?
Let’s look at this “drone” situation as if it were the opening chapters of a science fiction Alien Invasion novel and, if you do, these thousands of drones surveilling the hell out of us would be the prelude to an actual invasion.
Let’s just do a little thought experiment here.
Snow on Pine:
No. I am not interested in homework. If you’ve got an argument, make it on the merits as you see them.
And don’t conclude with a question mark.
OK. I dived into the comments before watching the Open Thread video.
She asked, why is everyone calling you my cocaine?
LOL
Michael Caine is so great.
West TX Intermediate Crude, my take is that Trump is gunning for the high-level management Federal government employees—the ones who actively sabotaged Trump’s agenda—not the lower level government employees. Which means that white Federal government employees have more to fear from Trump than black Federal government employees.
Re: Michael Caine
I never got over his breakthrough performance as Harry Palmer (yuk, yuk) playing the anti-James Bond in spy thriller, “The Ipcress File.”
Longshoremen have caused problems – at least since WW2. Maybe we should also ban cars and go back to the horse ‘n buggy…
Perplexity.ai has a web-based LLM that doesn’t require registration. For the sake of privacy, I use a few browser extensions like ad blockers, as well as a VPN. Given these simple steps, Perplexity knows no more about my computer, than does any other web site.
For a few years, I’ve been curious about the current generation of LLMs, and back in the 1980s, I dabbled in AI expert systems and neural nets. Nevertheless, I’m a rank amateur in the field. For a long time, I’ve said that the first practical applications of LLMs will be those that answer questions based on databases that are more reliable and more narrowly defined than the general, free, open internet. I guess we’ll soon see.
Also, while it’s accurate to say that AI LLMs are nothing more than matrix mathematics, that misses the point. It’s analagous to saying that the brain is nothing more than electrochemical reactions among synapses and neurons.
Anyway, today I asked Perplexity this question: Has Elsevier developed an AI system that can be applied to its citation and abstract databases, as well as its journals? (Elsevier is a major publisher of journals in science and engineering.)
Below, I’ve copied Perplexity’s answer:
Elsevier has indeed developed an AI system that is being integrated into its journals and databases, specifically through a product called **Scopus AI**. This system leverages generative AI technology to enhance the functionality of Scopus, which is a leading abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature.
### Overview of Scopus AI
1. **Launch and Purpose**: Scopus AI was first introduced in August 2023 as an alpha version for testing by researchers. It aims to provide deeper insights and facilitate collaboration among researchers by summarizing complex topics quickly and effectively[1][3].
2. **Functionality**: The AI tool allows users to pose natural language queries, making it easier to navigate the extensive database without needing to use complex search operators. It combines curated content from over 27,000 academic journals and utilizes advanced AI techniques to generate summaries and insights from this vast repository of information[1][6].
3. **User Engagement**: Approximately 15,000 researchers participated in the initial testing phase, providing feedback that has shaped the development of the tool. The full launch is expected in early 2024[1][4].
### Key Features
– **Generative AI Integration**: Scopus AI employs a custom retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architecture, which enhances its ability to deliver relevant research insights based on user queries[3].
– **Content Vetting**: The content used by Scopus AI is rigorously vetted by an independent review board comprising renowned scientists and librarians, ensuring high-quality information is provided[4].
– **User-Centric Development**: Elsevier emphasizes its commitment to responsible AI use, incorporating user feedback throughout the development process to refine the tool’s capabilities and ensure it meets researchers’ needs[6].
### Future Directions
Elsevier plans to expand the capabilities of Scopus AI, including potential support for multiple languages and features like saved chat histories for users to revisit previous interactions with the AI[6]. This reflects a broader trend in academic publishing where AI tools are increasingly utilized to streamline research processes and enhance accessibility to scholarly information.
In summary, Elsevier’s development of Scopus AI marks a significant step towards integrating advanced AI technologies into academic research tools, facilitating easier access to knowledge and fostering collaboration within the research community.
Western Men Are Turning Away From Western Women
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/western-men-turning-away-western-181700729.html
“Western men are increasingly uncertain about their roles in relationships,” explains New Zealander Stryker Joyce. “Their desire to care for and support a partner, the same as what their parents or grandparents had, is often misunderstood or unappreciated in the current dating climate. Feminism, once a quest for equality, has become a vehicle to deliver the message that men are no longer needed. As a result, many men have given up even trying.”
Apparently Men Don’t Want Western Women, And These Women Are Outraged About It!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNPEvS7weCc
===============
“Women want to be approached. But if you approach them and they don’t like you or think you’re attractive enough, you will be called a creep.” — Jake.
Kane, 35 years old and single, shares, “I don’t approach women anymore because it’s too tedious with little chance of payoff. It’s either they ignore you, reject you, shame you, or, worse, accuse you of molestation. If a woman likes me, she should make an effort to approach me.”
“It’s easier to get women and land a date online than cold approaching them. I’m currently in College and our campus consists of 80% women. It’s not necessary to approach women anymore.”
Nathan, 22 years old, admits, “It’s mainly the negative consequences that’s stopping me. It’s scary when you hear stories about guys and fake accusations on campus. I worked hard to get into College. I’m not going to risk getting expelled for something I didn’t do.”
Do men approach women in public anymore? Has everyone resorted to dating apps or mutual friend introductions? I never get approached by men anymore. I feel I am still relatively attractive – maybe a few extra pounds (190). I have approached a man once and we were in a relationship but that was 6 years ago. I have been single for 3 years and only been on 1 date which was not good. Not sure if I even want a relationship but wondering how other ladies meet men.
Chris Williamson
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
want to understand it all as its changed?
go here.
https://www.youtube.com/@hoe_math
thats if neo lets this stay up
the times have changed..
no one wants the western women any more
too toxic, nuts, etc.
I feel I am still relatively attractive – maybe a few extra pounds (190).
Just “a few”?
Gosh, why would ANYONE want to join a country of genocidal killers?????
“Circulating the web: Syrian Druze ask to be annexed to Israel’s Golan Heights;
“Druze community of al-Hader in Syria decides annexation to Israel is ‘the lesser evil’ in face of potential takeover by Syrian rebels. ‘We are with those who preserve our dignity.’”—
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400688
(Let’s see how much “traction” this story gets in the Global Shmedia…)
did they have a pass
https://x.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1867606452157771968
regardless of which party this is, our enemies are taking notes, while they chortle,
I couldn’t help notice that Caine’s accent in this clip (presumably his default voice) is quite different from the one he’s used in film roles (e.g. The Quiet American).
Michael Cain was always an entertaining guest on talk shows. Long ago, he once told a longer story on one of these shows that was quite amusing and memorable. I’ve tried searching for it unsuccessfully, and there’s the possibility it is in one of the books he’s written, though I’m not going to check that out.
I recall his story thusly: He’s a young man, perhaps college freshman age, out meeting lots of other young people & women and a couple young men approach him about joining their Marxism (or communism) group. The one man is the leader of the already sizable group. They give Michael their pitch: Equality and camaraderie for everyone, material things and property are shared, and free love.
Michael’s interest is piqued & he inquires, “So the women are shared too.” Oh yes, they assure him. Then Michael addresses the leader directly. Do you have a woman in the group? (She might have been in this conversation, or not, I don’t recall.) Yes, the leader replies. Michael asks, Is it OK if I sleep with her? Free love right? After a bit of furious backpedaling by the leader, Michael walks away with a smile on his face.
well he was supposed to be closer to graham greene nee henry fowler in this one,
but he often didn’t change his accent, say eagle has landed, he was supposed to be more posh in Zulu, but I think he has stayed cockney for most of his career,
much as with Connery’s scottish brogue, no matter if hes Latvian seemingly spanish or any other variant
connery’s working class roots immunizes him against much of this mind arson, not all that ghosted thriller I mentioned earlier, has woke elements, but that might be more too the actual writer a Times columnist, and he fell for some of the folderall after stockport,
I see a report just out by the DOJ’s I G that, while there were no actual FBI “agents” in the crowd on Jan 6th, there were some 26 FBI confidential informants in the crowd.
If they’re admitting to these CIs, I’m betting that this is misdirection, and that there were actually FBI agents in that crowd, and probably a lot of them.
There was also the odd statement that, while three of these confidential informants were tasked with being there, the other twenty three CIs just showed up on their own.
The IG report is from Garland’s DOJ, so it must be true (and complete), right?
DAX–
As I’ve written here many times before, all of our major institutions have–in the last several years, and by their own statements and actions–proven to be corrupt, and no longer worthy of our trust.
Lately I’ve been noticing commenters posting answers from ChatGPT, and I thought I’d give it a try. I was curious to know how many times the letter “r” appears in the word “strawberry”, so I decided to ask ChatGPT 4o:
I asked ChatGPT 4o questions only about the text that I had written and it had written for me, and it could not answer those questions correctly. It does not know how to count, or how to tell when it is contradicting itself, and it tripled down on its incorrect answer about its own text.
So I don’t think I would trust it to summarize what’s on the Internet about a general question, when it’s like pulling teeth to get it to answer a very simple question correctly about a very limited data set.
huxley: How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?
ChatGPT 4.o: The word “strawberry” contains three “r”s.
_______________________________
I seem to recall the letter counting bug was reported in earlier Chat versions. Seems to be fixed now.
I catch Chat in mistakes too — it sometimes thinks I’m asking about the English translation of French text rather than the other way around.
Chat keeps getting better. I consider 4.o a big improvement over 3.5. It’s much closer to human level conversation. Frankly I find Chat more sensible and accurate than quite a lot of humans I meet.
Niketas Choniates — 🙂
To the same “How many “r”s are in the word strawberry?”:
ChatGPT-4: ‘The word strawberry has 3 “r”s.‘
Bing/CoPilot: ‘The word “strawberry” has three “r”s.‘
Grok: …long answer so will quote:
perplexity had to be asked twice—first time went over a minute, but second try was quick ‘n accurate: ‘The word “strawberry” contains three “r”s.‘
Wanted to be a Pirate when I was six. Parents & Doctors granted me my wish. Have dealt with the one-eye, hook for a left hand, and various pegs below the right leg over these past 72+ years…oh, patch is over an empty socket where the left eye used to be:
UCLA student sues California doctors, says she was ‘fast-tracked’ into transgender surgery
Since the Rule of Law can’t stop these Crimes Against Humanity, then perhaps attacking the pocketbooks of all those involved in such criminal acts is the only solution left…
@huxley:Seems to be fixed now.
It wasn’t fixed between 1:56 pm, when I posted, and 2:21 pm when you did, and 2:32 pm when I did it again just now. It evidently tells different people different things.
What I got from ChatGPT 4.o just now:
The difference may be due to your history in interacting with it, or because I’m using the default without logging in on a browser in private mode, who knows.
Re: Rod Dreher, UFOs and AI
__________________________________
Rod Dreher: I found myself at the Arc Conference at Jordan Peterson’s big thing in London a year or two ago, sitting around a table when I was learning all this, talking to a group of Orthodox Christians I met there, and I said, “You guys aren’t going to believe this Silicon Valley, they are using AI. They see AI as a sort of high-tech Ouija board to contact these entities.” A guy sitting next to me is from California, who is an Orthodox Christian and a venture capitalist; he said, “Almost everybody I know in Silicon Valley does that. They even have get-togethers where they call down the aliens to enlighten us.” Look, in ages past, Christians would have known exactly what we were dealing with here, but now so many of us either laugh at it or don’t want to see it because it scares us. Attention must be paid, I say.
–Rod Dreher, “A Conversation With Rod Dreher on Living in Wonder Part 2: Daemon Ex Machina”
https://pjmedia.com/lincolnbrown/2024/12/07/a-conversation-with-rod-dreher-on-living-in-wonder-part-2-daemon-ex-machina-n4934882
__________________________________
The UFO connection comes from Jacques Vallée’s theory that UFOs are not aliens from Alpha Centauri or such, but are “higher intelligences that are incarnating, in some sense, as UFOs and trying to communicate with humanity.”
And not necessarily for our own good.
@Karmi:Since the Rule of Law can’t stop these Crimes Against Humanity…
If you can make the time, I highly recommend Blackstone’s Commentary on the Laws of England. He has quite a lot to say about the limits of what “rule of law” can and can’t do. But I’ll quote just this short bit:
Trump and the R’s made inroads into the black population, resulting in gaining black voters.
Now, Trump (Elon/Vivek) wants to fire a whole lot of government workers.
~18% of the government workforce is black- that is a fact.
Black government workers are overrepresented in the part of government that the nation would be better off without- that is pure speculation.
More speculation- heavier impact on female workers.
In any event, it is very likely that any significant trimming of the government workforce will have a disparate impact on black people. Let’s be careful doing this, lest the progress be lost.
@Snow On Pine:“higher intelligences that are incarnating, in some sense, as UFOs and trying to communicate with humanity.”
That’s more or less the plot of C. S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength.
ChatGPT 4 and all other LLMs are notoriously bad at answering certain questions that are trivial for humans. To put it very reductively, this stems from the fact that they are really just highly sophisticated “guess what the best next word is” mechanisms. They “guess” (infer) what the most probable next word in a sequence of words (or technically “tokens”, which are really just fragments of letters that are converted into numeric values) is. They do this by training on reams and reams of human created text that are tokenized and then passed through a network made up of nodes of weighted values which are then adjusted based on the incoming data.
The result of all this is that you end up with responses to questions (or “prompts” to use the proper parlance) that generally, in a broad sense, do indeed seem like they could’ve been created by a human. This has little bearing on whether or not these responses are actually correct or true in the objective sense, since that’s not exactly what they’re really doing. It’s not as if they’re starting with actual objective facts and building out from them, rather they’re training on text that may or may not contain facts, or may contain contain contradictions or falsehoods or anything in between. But they’re using all that to ultimately guess.
So depending on the question, their responses can range from very good to awful and just plan wrong.
@ Niketas Choniates & huxley
Just tried it on ChatGPT 4o mini…on another browser that am not logged into and got:
The 4o mini is a free version. My logged in ChatGPT-4 is also free, and it accurately says “3 r’s”…
@Karmi:The 4o mini is a free version. My logged in ChatGPT-4 is also free, and it accurately says “3 r’s”…
That’s great that the logged-in version, that has access to your personal data, is giving you a better answer in this one instance. But you have no way to know what else it is getting wrong, or what else will trip up the next version.
Niketas Choniates
Here’s Google on that:
BTW, I am testing many AI’s, and Bing/CoPilot is considered most accurate, and I say – watch out for the up ‘n coming Grok.
@Karmi: Yesterday I noted that CNN incorporated details about Luigi Mangione from an anonymous, deleted reddit account where information in the posts seemed to match was was known about him. Now maybe the government did that for them, which raises a different set of disturbing questions, but it seems likely that CNN bought access to reddit’s data and they can search posts, including for deleted accounts, for keywords. (Or somebody else can who gave it to CNN.)
By logging in to OpenAI you are giving them the same sort of thing for free, which they could sell to CNN for all you know. Part of their business model is incorporating their LLMs into other companies’ UI, partly for marketing purposes. You’re telling them a lot about yourself, and training their models, and in exchange you are possibly getting false information in response to questions you ask.
Niketas Choniates
You turn your phone on…plug your computer into an outlet…comment here at neo’s…etc. you’re opening devices up to the world and/or giving them your info like IP addy ‘n etcetera.
Relax…
I know venn diagrams are overused, but I’m guessing the circle of those black and female government workers, are trump supporters don’t actually overlap, the latter cohort are more working class,
Jacques Vallee is the real life version of Truffaut’s character in Close Encounters, who first meet with Bob Balaban, in the Sonoran desert, admittedly I didn’t know about that 1945 torpedo bombers flight, and the connection to that,
I know venn diagrams are overused, but I’m guessing the circle of those black and female government workers, are trump supporters don’t actually overlap, the latter cohort are more working class,
Jacques Vallee is the real life version of Truffaut’s character in Close Encounters, who first meet with Bob Balaban, in the Sonoran desert, admittedly I didn’t know about that 1945 torpedo bombers,
Niketas wrote
1. You quoted huxley, not Snow.
2. You must be thinking of another book. Perhaps Perelandra, the second volume of the trilogy? Although I wouldn’t describe its plot that way.
Savory: Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for MLer Parades and two prospects, with Tucker under team control (for now) through 2025. Very nice.
@Dax:You quoted huxley, not Snow.
Ah, jeez.
You must be thinking of another book
Nope. The “macrobes” of That Hideous Strength are demons, but thought by the NICE elite to be some sort of extraterrestrial.
Just saw White House spokesman John Kirby on Fox, undergoing strong very skeptical questioning by Martha McCallum, and he is still maintaining that the government doesn’t know what these supposed “drones” really are.
Given all the available surveillance systems, and the array of other technology, plus manpower, expertise, and information available to the government, I don’t find his lack of knowledge to be at all credible.
Moreover, given the ton of lies that this Biden Administration has thrown out there over the years, the fact that they aren’t even willing to throw some sort of half credible explanation out there strikes me as very strange and, frankly, ominous.
Snow on Pine – sounds like some kind of military exercises (w/ Ukraine?) — OR judging by the panic it is causing_it’s another type of COVID false alarm to cause mass public panic again…
Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for MLer Parades and two prospects, with Tucker under team control (for now) through 2025. Very nice.
I was hoping the Cubs would trade for Luis Robert so the Reds couldn’t. I think we’re about to make a very big mistake.
I would ask any so-called “AI” program three questions (stolen from a joke on the old Benny Hill show):
1) Who won the Indianapolis 500 race in 2024?
2) How many fans were in attendance at that race?
3) What were the names of all of those fans?
After question three, it would be interesting to watch the AI implode!
Let’s just do a little thought experiment here.
Let’s just assume that these craft are sent by Russia, or China, or even Iran.
If that were the case, what would you think was happening, what was the objective of all of this widespread surveillance?
I can’t see any one of these adversaries mounting such a major effort just to annoy us.
Thus, I think that the most logical conclusion might be that we are being surveilled, in preparation for an attack.
Now, suppose that these supposed “drones” are, in fact, of Extraterrestrial origin.
Where does that leave us?
Let’s look at this “drone” situation as if it were the opening chapters of a science fiction Alien Invasion novel and, if you do, these thousands of drones surveilling the hell out of us would be the prelude to an actual invasion.
Let’s just do a little thought experiment here.
Snow on Pine:
No. I am not interested in homework. If you’ve got an argument, make it on the merits as you see them.
And don’t conclude with a question mark.
OK. I dived into the comments before watching the Open Thread video.
She asked, why is everyone calling you my cocaine?
LOL
Michael Caine is so great.
West TX Intermediate Crude, my take is that Trump is gunning for the high-level management Federal government employees—the ones who actively sabotaged Trump’s agenda—not the lower level government employees. Which means that white Federal government employees have more to fear from Trump than black Federal government employees.
Re: Michael Caine
I never got over his breakthrough performance as Harry Palmer (yuk, yuk) playing the anti-James Bond in spy thriller, “The Ipcress File.”
–“The Ipcress File (1965) Original Trailer [HD]”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHbvZ1FBqjI
Based on true CIA MKULTRA rumors!
Hot stuff. Really, great dialog, brilliantly shot. What are you waiting for? 🙂
Snow on Pine,
My comment at 1:16 pm was not meant for you specifically, nor was it meant as criticism of you. Sorry if it gave that impression.
Niketas wrote:
Nope. The “macrobes” of That Hideous Strength are demons, but thought by the NICE elite to be some sort of extraterrestrial.
Thanks. I forgot that part, and I’ve read the book twice, though not recently. And I obviously don’t recall the “macrobes” as essential to the plot.
Trump Backs the Longshoremen in Fight Pitting Workers Against Automation – ?!?!
Longshoremen have caused problems – at least since WW2. Maybe we should also ban cars and go back to the horse ‘n buggy…
Perplexity.ai has a web-based LLM that doesn’t require registration. For the sake of privacy, I use a few browser extensions like ad blockers, as well as a VPN. Given these simple steps, Perplexity knows no more about my computer, than does any other web site.
For a few years, I’ve been curious about the current generation of LLMs, and back in the 1980s, I dabbled in AI expert systems and neural nets. Nevertheless, I’m a rank amateur in the field. For a long time, I’ve said that the first practical applications of LLMs will be those that answer questions based on databases that are more reliable and more narrowly defined than the general, free, open internet. I guess we’ll soon see.
Also, while it’s accurate to say that AI LLMs are nothing more than matrix mathematics, that misses the point. It’s analagous to saying that the brain is nothing more than electrochemical reactions among synapses and neurons.
Anyway, today I asked Perplexity this question: Has Elsevier developed an AI system that can be applied to its citation and abstract databases, as well as its journals? (Elsevier is a major publisher of journals in science and engineering.)
Below, I’ve copied Perplexity’s answer:
Elsevier has indeed developed an AI system that is being integrated into its journals and databases, specifically through a product called **Scopus AI**. This system leverages generative AI technology to enhance the functionality of Scopus, which is a leading abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature.
### Overview of Scopus AI
1. **Launch and Purpose**: Scopus AI was first introduced in August 2023 as an alpha version for testing by researchers. It aims to provide deeper insights and facilitate collaboration among researchers by summarizing complex topics quickly and effectively[1][3].
2. **Functionality**: The AI tool allows users to pose natural language queries, making it easier to navigate the extensive database without needing to use complex search operators. It combines curated content from over 27,000 academic journals and utilizes advanced AI techniques to generate summaries and insights from this vast repository of information[1][6].
3. **User Engagement**: Approximately 15,000 researchers participated in the initial testing phase, providing feedback that has shaped the development of the tool. The full launch is expected in early 2024[1][4].
### Key Features
– **Generative AI Integration**: Scopus AI employs a custom retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architecture, which enhances its ability to deliver relevant research insights based on user queries[3].
– **Content Vetting**: The content used by Scopus AI is rigorously vetted by an independent review board comprising renowned scientists and librarians, ensuring high-quality information is provided[4].
– **User-Centric Development**: Elsevier emphasizes its commitment to responsible AI use, incorporating user feedback throughout the development process to refine the tool’s capabilities and ensure it meets researchers’ needs[6].
### Future Directions
Elsevier plans to expand the capabilities of Scopus AI, including potential support for multiple languages and features like saved chat histories for users to revisit previous interactions with the AI[6]. This reflects a broader trend in academic publishing where AI tools are increasingly utilized to streamline research processes and enhance accessibility to scholarly information.
In summary, Elsevier’s development of Scopus AI marks a significant step towards integrating advanced AI technologies into academic research tools, facilitating easier access to knowledge and fostering collaboration within the research community.
Citations:
[1] https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/elsevier-takes-scopus-to-the-next-level-with-generative-ai
[2] https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/artificial-intelligence/databases
[3] https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2024/07/25/interview-with-maxim-khan-about-scopus-ai/
[4] https://publishingperspectives.com/2024/02/elseviers-scopus-ai-tool-rolls-out-for-database-customers/
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/artificial-intelligence/vol/318/suppl/C
[6] https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jun24/Keiser–From-A&I-to-AI-Elsevier-Integrates-AI-Into-Scopus.shtml
[7] https://shop.elsevier.com/journals/subjects/physical-sciences-and-engineering/computer-science/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence-expert-systems-and-knowledge-based-systems
[8] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazing-ways-elsevier-uses-artificial-intelligence-improving-marr
[9] https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/expert-systems-with-applications
[10] https://shop.elsevier.com/journals/subjects/physical-sciences-and-engineering/computer-science/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence-general
[11] https://shop.elsevier.com/journals/subjects/physical-sciences-and-engineering/computer-science/artificial-intelligence