CA; Why are you retiring?MZ; I’ve heard for years the refrain from people getting ready to retire, announced their retirement and say it’s just time. And I always thought there would be more to it, but it really is. You get this feeling like it’s just time. You know, with the exception of a few […]
Vet Clinic, Feb ’23
Chas. is a certified Veterans Service Officer. Link to all Vet Clinic columns
Wigeons and Flickers and Juncos, oh my!
As a kid I had a vision that I would have a place with a creek running through the backyard. Now with Clover Creek running across my front yard, the vision is realized. Deer have been spotted and I have seen a coyote recently. They are among the otters, beavers, raccoons, squirrels, maybe a rabbit, […]
Vet Clinic, Jan ’23
Chas. is a certified Veterans Service Officer. Link to all Vet Clinic columns
Faster and Faster; part 4, ‘More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine’
If you have a minute of audio of a lost loved one… now you have their voice forever. Just add anecdotes to flesh out family histories that, in a way, never die. https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/18/1061320/digital-clones-of-dead-people/ Now take the next inevitable step of combining audio and deepfake AI to create… Well, you have to see it for yourself. […]
Faster and Faster; part 3, ‘What You See Will Defy Explanation’
For sheer breathtaking fun and amazement, it’s hard to beat generating beautiful visuals with just a few words. Think of an entity. Now think of a visual style. Then… https://www.midjourney.com/showcase/recent/ Next step, create conceptual worlds that never existed (until now). https://labs.openai.com/ Now… let AI create a comicbook series. https://www.cnet.com/culture/ai-drew-this-stunning-comic-series-youd-never-know-it/ Or create people that never existed. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12/thanks-to-ai-its-probably-time-to-take-your-photos-off-the-internet/ If […]
Faster and Faster; part 2, ‘Eye of the Beholder’
Artists may tremble at the variety of image tools available to the populace. Or they can use them as well. Here are but a few of the mind-bending tools available to armchair Picassos. Want to see a new you? Upload a few selfies, then you can render a composite in any style imaginable (and maybe some […]
Faster and Faster; part 1, ‘A Tangled Web’
It wasn’t that long ago that phones hung on walls, television had three channels, and news was something that plopped onto your porch every morning. As technology begins to infuse every aspect of our life, it might be a good idea to ‘look under the hood’ of this newfangled mystical code. This article will reference […]
Faster and Faster; intro
“Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way in recent years, with numerous advancements being made in the field. These advancements have led to the development of more intelligent and capable AI systems that are able to perform a wider range of tasks and operate in a more human-like manner. One of the most significant […]