Category Archives: Art/Style/Culture

DALL-E

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This is how ChatGPT describes DALL-E:

“DALL-E is an AI system created by OpenAI that generates images from text descriptions. Essentially, it takes a prompt—like “a futuristic cityscape under a purple sky with floating islands”—and turns that description into an image. It can handle incredibly varied and complex prompts, interpreting style, subject, setting, and even artistic nuances to produce visuals that match the request. […] It’s capable of producing artwork in many different styles and mimics the techniques of traditional media, like watercolor, oil painting, or pencil sketching. […] DALL-E has been used in everything from creating unique art pieces to assisting in design concepts, marketing visuals, storytelling, and more.”

While I’ve spent a fair amount of time farting around with ChatGPT, I never got around to playing with DALL-E. Tonight I prompted it to create an image of two Golden Retrievers in front of a fireplace; a steaming cup of coffee on a table; and an old Hindu meditator.


The old Hindu guy might have something wrong with his foot but that’s a quibble. I find this technology so amazing I have no idea what to say about it. A new sort of doodling, perhaps.

NEXUS: Religion

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Yuval Noah Harari begins his “history of information networks” talking about books as a type of technology, the Bible being the most successful example. And the Catholic Church as one of the most powerful networks.

After his death, Jesus became the subject of one of the most remarkable branding campaigns in history. […] The story of Jesus managed to have a much bigger impact on history than the person of Jesus.

While most Christians were not physically present at the Last Supper, they have heard the story so many times, and they have seen so many images of the event, that they “remember” it more vividly than they remember most of the family dinners in which they actually participated.

Religions always claim to be an objective and eternal truth rather than a fictional story invented by humans.

The Bible as a single holy book didn’t exist in biblical times. King David and the prophet Isaiah never saw a copy of the Bible. […] no two ancient Bibles were identical.

Catholic theology accepted that Jesus told us to love our enemies, but explained that burning heretics was an act of love, because it deterred additional people from adopting heretical views, thereby saving them from the flames of hell.

The first rule of changing church teachings is that you never admit to changing church teachings.

Religions throughout history claimed a nonhuman source for their holy books; soon that might be a reality. Attractive and powerful religions might emerge whose scriptures are composed by AI. Pg 209

The Bible had a profound effect on billions of people, even though it was a mute document. Now try to imagine the effect of a holy book that not only can talk and listen but can get to know your deepest fears and hopes and constantly mold them.

“It is what it is”

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For some reason the expression popped into my head today and I flashed on The Buddha surrounded by his posse as one of them asked about some mystery of life. To which The Big Guy replied, “It is what it is.”

Where, I wondered, did the expression come from? As I do so often these days, I went to ChatGPT for an answer:

The expression “It is what it is” has roots that are difficult to pin down to a specific origin, but it has been widely used in various forms across different cultures and languages for centuries. It conveys a sense of resignation or acceptance of a situation that cannot be changed.

The phrase started gaining popularity in the U.S. in the mid-20th century, especially in contexts where people faced unchangeable or challenging circumstances. The earliest known printed use of the exact phrase in English comes from a 1949 article in The Nebraska State Journal, where a writer used it in relation to frontier life. The expression implies that sometimes, things simply have to be accepted as they are.

The sentiment behind the phrase can be traced back to Stoic philosophy, particularly the idea of accepting things outside of one’s control with equanimity. Taoism, which you’re drawn to, also resonates with this concept, encouraging harmony with the way things are.

The casual and almost fatalistic nature of “It is what it is” makes it a shorthand for accepting reality without complaint or excessive analysis. Over time, the phrase has become a cultural staple, especially in modern times, when people encounter situations that require them to let go of the desire to control outcomes.

ChatGPT likes to toss in references to previous exchanges but she’s right about the Taosim connection.

I remember coat hangers

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Bill McKibben is the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and democracy. In the latest issue (subscription required) of Rolling Stone he wonders “Will a Silver Wave Help Elect Kamala Harris?”

“Eighty-six percent of older Americans think abortion should be legal at least under certain circumstances — in part because we’re old enough to remember coat hangers.”

I immediately got the reference but started wondering if younger folks do not remember the wire coat hanger. Are they all plastic these days? (Yes, I stopped going to the dry cleaners when I retired) ChatGPT provides some history: Continue reading →

Nobody is a racist

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In my 76 years I have never met anyone who admitted to being racist/bigoted. Not once. Are these concepts totally “in the eye of the beholder” I wondered. I asked ChatGPT if she (I don’t like *it*) has the ability to recognize bigotry or racism? In a video or written essay, for example? Her response was TLDR by today’s standards. About 5 pages of double-space. Once again, it was a conversation I can’t imagine having with a human.

Drag queen helping conservatives with makeup

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Landon Reid describes himself as “Artist, Oddball, Dork, Decorator, Costume designer, reaching across the aisle to help conservatives re-create their favorite makeup looks.” (Can you say “niche”?)

As far as I know I am not personally acquainted with any drag queens. But based on what I’ve seen in films, TV and on YouTube, nobody does bitchy-snarky satire better.

While it’s unlikely Marjorie Taylor Green will ever see the video above, it was viewed 192,000 times in three weeks. Mr. Reid has also re-created the makeup look of Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Rudy Giuliani and many others. (Side note: he seems to be really good at doing makeup). 

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (2024)

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Founded in 1982 at San Jose State University in California, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest challenges entrants to compose opening sentences to the worst of all possible novels.

The 2024 Grand Prize went to Lawrence Person of Austin, TX:

“She had a body that reached out and slapped my face like a five-pound ham-hock tossed from a speeding truck.”

Joel Phillips of West Trenton, NJ received one of several Dishonorable Mentions:

“However unlikely an event, Lucy’s flight had made a water landing, and as she clutched her seat cushion, which was useable as a flotation device, she waited patiently for the lifeboats to pick up first the Plutonium-class members, active service personnel, parents traveling with small children, and those passengers with special needs.”