I mentioned in the last post (at least I think I did) that one of our cars has its check engine light on. Earlier today I went to the website for the dealership that sold us the car. I wanted to see if I could schedule an appointment to have that idiot light looked at. I found the link to their service department site and went to it, but when I got there…….
My only option for scheduling required me to… oh it’s too awful to even type it out… okay… here goes… it required me to talk to an AI chatbot. Disgusting!
I feel so dirty. It asked me for my name and I ignored it. I don’t want some random AI bot to know my name. To hell with that crap! It was just gross. Why would any company that respects its customers want to subject them to such bullshit? I would have preferred being asked to call them and then getting stuck in voicemail hell for half an hour. That would have been so much less demeaning.
At one point it even tried to tell me its name, as if it were pretending to be an actual human being. I feel so dirty! It was just icky and gross and dehumanizing. And the worst part? This was hours ago and it told me it was going to have the service department call me to book the actual appointment and I still don’t have a fucking appointment! Insert the grossed out scream of frustration here.
Spoiler alert, this post is a tease. It does not pay off.
My wife and I just watched a youtube video about the nightmare that is AI generated youtube videos. The examples it showed were awful and creepy and painful and will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
So naturally I decided to see if I could find a site that would AI generate a music video for one of my RPM Challenge songs.
It worked… sort of… but it was so beyond awful that I can’t share it. I uploaded a photo to go with the song. It was a selfie I took in Disney World while I was on an elevator and it took some of my fave and glued it onto some douche bag’s head and I will never recover from the emotional trauma. I then generated another clip using a face that the website provided. I’m trying to decide if I want to share it or not because… damn is it awful.
Nope. I can’t share it. It’s too awful. Sorry for the tease but damn it was just creepy as all hell. I actually closed my eyes for part of it. Nope. Not going there again. Sorry, AI Charlie.
During a conversation with my wife and my step daughter the other day I heard two phrases that immediately went into the running for this year’s RPM Challenge Album Title.
One potential title is, “Electric Heat is Crazy Expensive.”
The other potential title is, “Groundhogs Wear Top Hats.”
If I go for one of those titles, what would I do for the album cover art? The electric heat one… no clue. The groundhog one though… yeah, let’s ask A.I. to generate an image for us, shall we?
I just had Google’s A.I. transcribe and summarize a conference call I was on. It worked, I guess. Reading through the transcript I had one important fact hammered home to me.
When I speak in public I sounds as if I am roughly as intelligent as a chipmunk. Make that a chipmunk with a speech impediment. I mean… wow, do I suck at speaking.
Here’s today’s photo a day pic to distract you all from how bad I suck at verbal communication. Ah-duh.
The first round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs wrapped up last night and the second round kicked off last night as well. Worlds colliding, the universe is spinning out of control! I need to write another predictions post!
Let’s review my picks from the first round, including my coin flip picks. The Bruins won so that’s all that matters, but we’ll review anyway.
In the East…
Panthers vs Lightning. I hate them both. I picked Tampa Bay and Florida won. Pricks. I am 0/1. The coin picked Tampa Bay too so we’re both 0/1.
Bruins vs Maple Leafs. Nothing else matters. The Bruins won and all was right with the world, even though it stressed me out like crazy over the last three games. Damn, Bruins. I clearly picked the Bruins so I am 1/2. The coin toss picked the Bruins as well. We’re both 1/2.
The Rangers vs the Capitals. Damn if I don’t hate both of these teams too. The Rangers won easy. I picked the Caps because I suck at this. The coin picked the Caps too because the coin sucks at this too. We’re both 1/3.
Whalers vs Islanders. Again… hate for both teams. I picked the Whale and the coin picked the Islanders. Finally some tension here! Who won? The Whale. I am 2/4 and the coin is 1/4.
On to the West!
Stars vs Golden Knights. This is the series that ended last night with a game seven. I picked Dallas and the coin picked Vegas. Who won game seven? Dallas. I was right, the coin was wrong. I am 3/5 and the coin is 1/5.
Jets vs Avalanche. I didn’t follow a single second of this series. I picked the Jets and the Avs won. The coin picked the Avs. Oh well. I am 3/6 and the coin is 2/6 and catching up to me.
Canucks vs Predators. I went with the underdog and I was wrong wrong wrong. I picked the Preds and the Canucks won. Fortunately for the predictions competition, the coin picked the Predators too. I am 3/7 and the coin is 2/7.
Oilers vs Kings. I like the Kings. I kinda like the Oilers. I picked the Oilers. So did the coin toss. The Oilers won. That brings me up to 4/8 and the coin is 3/8.
Two important statistical notes. First, I am at 50% which is really the best I can ever hope for. More importantly I beat the coin. Oh yeah, that’s what I am talking about. I’m better than blind random luck, babie! Nice!
Now for the second round, starting in the East…
Panthers vs Bruins. I am still so intensely pissed off over the Bruins choking last year and losing to the Panthers that I may never forgive them. A second round win this year will not erase last year’s shame… but it would be a nice start. Clearly I am picking the Bruins even though the Panthers are probably favored. The coin flip is tails. The higher seed is heads and the lower seed is tails, so the coin picks the Bruins as well.
Rangers vs Whalers. This is a little tough here. Game one already happened and the Rangers won. Does that color my choice? Nope. Even though I hate New York sports teams with the fiery passion of a million burning suns, I was going to pick the Rangers all along. Last night’s game doesn’t change anything. The coin flip is tails, so it picks the Whale.
Now we move over to the West…
Stars vs Avalanche. These two have a history, don’t they? Dallas vs Colorado always sees me siding with Colorado. Thanks to Ray Bourque, I think. I am picking the Avs out of loyalty. The coin also picked Colorado. That’s three tails in a row. Only one more to go.
Canucks vs Oilers. No question this time. Oilers all the way. The coin flip is finally not tails. The coin pics Vancouver.
There you have it, the third round will be Boston vs New York which is freakin’ epic in scope. The west will be Colorado vs Edmonton. You heard it here first, hockey fans!
I asked Google Gemini about the Boston/Florida series. Specifically, I asked the following:
Who do you think will win the playoff series between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers
Gemini’s response?
Predicting the winner of the Bruins-Panthers series is tough! Here’s a breakdown to help you form your own opinion:
Regular Season: The Bruins swept the season series 4-0, with two overtime victories.
Recent Form: Boston needed a hard-fought Game 7 overtime win against Toronto, while Florida swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Last Year’s Playoffs: The Panthers pulled off a massive upset, winning Game 7 in overtime after Boston led 3-1. This adds a revenge factor for the Bruins.
While the Bruins dominated the regular season matchup, playoff hockey is a different beast. Experts are leaning slightly towards the Panthers, but both teams have strong arguments.
Last night I went back to Google Gemini and asked a similar question. I didn’t reference where we are from, but instead mentioned something about how we were all getting up there in age. It again responded with a list of names that were mostly inane and lame.
There was one stand out though. I shared it with the rest of the band. I shared it with my wife too, and now she is really rooting for us to use it.
We lost my mother one year ago today. After years and years of dementia she was finally free of all of her physical pain and mental confusion. Would she see it as release the way we hope she would? I have no idea.
I got to spend a little time with my father tonight. He was mostly okay, but he’s having an annoying, persistent health issue of his own that flared up quite a bit yesterday and sent him briefly to the ER. He’s fine, he just needs to do what the doctors tell him to do. When he does, he improves. He just doesn’t do it enough. Insert the frustrated sigh here.
Now that I am home I have spent the last 15-20 minutes asking Google Bard to generate images of Jedi Knights in goofy situations like being a contestant on The Bachelor, riding a tiger, or watching a baseball game. I feel like I’ve found my new favorite internet hobby.
No music progress today. It’s getting close to bed time and I haven’t accomplished anything. Well… I picked off a few things at work today, which was nice. Just no musical accomplishments, that’s all. There is also a zombie movie that I want to watch tonight so that I can listen to a podcast discussing it on the drive to work tomorrow.
Zombies are hungry, But feeding them is stressful. Does my brain taste good?
So I watched an episode of The Walking Dead last night. Season two episode seven, titled Pretty Much Dead Already. That is the episode that changed my opinion on the show from “I think I like this show” to “holy shit I can never miss an episode of this show ever.” To say it’s a good episode is a massive understatement. If you were to say it was one of the best hours of television ever aired then I probably would not 100% agree with you, but I would understand where you are coming from.
I wrote the above haiku during my lunch break today. Watch a great zombie episode on Monday night, write a zombie haiku on Tuesday afternoon. Makes sense, right?
I then thought it would be funny to ask the wordpress.com AI Assistant to “write a haiku about zombies.” Allow me to share the results the AI came up with:
Hungry Zombies Haiku
Zombies are hungry, But feeding them is stressful. Does my brain taste good?
Yes, kids. You are reading that correctly. It gave me the same haiku that I just wrote! What the hell, bro? I hadn’t even published it yet! The AI Assistant literally read the document I was working in and stole my haiku! What the fuck?
Okay… I am going to ask for another one. This time I will ask it to “write a different haiku about zombies.” Here’s the result:
Zombies in the night, Moaning for flesh and delight. Fear their endless plight.
Oh nice, it rhymes this time. Think it did that as an apology? Neither do I. What a jerk! What an artificially intelligent ass wipe!
I wonder… did the AI Assistant somehow misinterpret my initial request for a haiku as a request to format my current post? Something like that? It added the title. I centered the text myself after the fact. I wonder if it thought I wanted input on the text I had already written. I’m not sure. I did specifically ask for a haiku, but I did not ask for a new haiku. Who knows. The AI is a jerk either way. A plagiarizing, haiku stealing thief of a jerk.
If the second AI haiku was not stolen from me… where did the AI Assistant steal it from? I’m sure it just went to google and spit out the first zombie themed haiku it found.
WordPress.com let us know via email last night that there is now an AI Assistant available in the blog post editor. At least if you are using the Block Editor format. I don’t know if it’s there if you’re writing HTML code or anything else, but if you’re using blocks you can add an AI Assistant block and ask it to do stuff for you.
For example, I asked the AI Assistant to write a paragraph about using AI to write a blog post and it came up with this absolute fucking masterpiece:
AI has revolutionized the way we approach content creation, offering unprecedented efficiency and creativity. By harnessing the power of advanced algorithms, AI can rapidly generate compelling blog posts on a diverse range of topics, tailored to specific audiences. Moreover, it can analyze trends and audience engagement to optimize content, enhancing its impact. While AI streamlines the writing process, it also empowers human creators by providing valuable insights and freeing up time for strategic thinking and ideation. Embracing AI in blog writing opens up exciting possibilities for innovation and scalability in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
How cool is that? Now I don’t have to go to Google Bard or Chat GPT when I want to add something fucking stupid to my already lame-ass blog posts. Hurrah!
This is a further response to today’s daily writing prompt. I am being sarcastic here. You can laugh along with me. You can flip the finger at the buzzspeak mentality with me. If you want, you can even be offended by this. It’s all good. Here we go…
I asked Google Bard to, “explain why the term brand is a meaningless corporate buzzword.” Here is Bard’s response:
The term “brand” is often used as a corporate buzzword without any real meaning. It is often thrown around in marketing and advertising materials, but it is rarely defined or explained in a clear and concise way.
One reason for this is that the concept of “brand” is complex and multifaceted. It can refer to a wide range of things, including a company’s name, logo, products, services, reputation, and even its culture.
Another reason is that the term “brand” has been overused and misused in recent years. It is now applied to everything from products and services to people and places. This has led to a certain amount of confusion and cynicism about the term.
Here are some specific reasons why the term “brand” is often a meaningless corporate buzzword:
It is often used in a vague and unsubstantiated way. For example, a company might claim that its brand is “innovative” or “customer-centric,” but it may not provide any specific evidence to support these claims.
It is often used to sell products or services that are not actually that different from the competition. For example, two different brands of toothpaste might both claim to be the “best for your teeth,” but there may be little real difference between them.
It is often used to create a sense of artificial exclusivity or superiority. For example, a luxury brand might claim that its products are “only for the best” or that they are “the epitome of style.”
In short, the term “brand” is often used as a marketing gimmick rather than a meaningful way to differentiate a company from its competitors.
Here are some examples of how the term “brand” is often used as a meaningless corporate buzzword:
“Our new product is designed to help you create a more authentic brand.”
“We are committed to building a strong brand that resonates with our customers.”
“Our brand is all about innovation and creativity.”
“We want to be the world’s leading brand in our industry.”
These statements are all vague and unsubstantiated. They do not provide any specific information about what the company’s brand actually is or what makes it different from the competition.
To be truly meaningful, the term “brand” should be used to describe a company’s unique value proposition and the way that it differentiates itself from its competitors. It should also be backed up by specific examples and evidence.
Inside the Red Head's Head 