#AI Customization

[8pxl]

bluesky is honestly so nice and wholesome. the communities there reminds me a lot of tumblrs, i’ve really felt at home 🥹 my bluesky

some of the unique things i’ve liked:

- moderation lists: massive human made blocklists. they have lists for MAGAs, Nazis, genAI users/posters, NFT bros, spammers bots etc. truly amazing.

- starter packs: again human made lists of people they recommend to follow. there’s so many starter packs, from artist to follow, musicians, writers, even shitposters lmao.

- feeds: customizable, public timelines. you can create your own or join one of the thousands of feeds out there. you can also create a feed just for your art, so if you have a messy media tab, it keeps your art posts clean and organized!!

- blocking/muting: they have an amazing blocking system. when you block they can’t see your posts or even search you o. the site. they also allow you to mute people, delete specific replies, and even let you detach your post from a quote reblog if they’re trying to cause drama. honestly the best for a drama free environment. they also have very nice post filters so you can mute or completely block posts containing specific words or phrase!

- community: after blocking all the moderation lists it really just seems like a nice oasis for artists, creatives and others to connect with each other and get new followings. i’ve had a lot of people discover my art there and immediate support. it was super sweet.

- NSFW: not really something i like but i know a lot of others will; they allow NSFW content, art and otherwise. They have GREAT moderation so if you’re not interested in seeing those types of post be sure to turn on your content moderation settings.

[uplymedia]

Boost Your Business Edge with GPTs

A Deep Dive into the World of Customized GPTs FeatureStandard GPTsCustom GPTsKnowledge BaseBroad and generalSpecialized and focusedRelevanceGeneral-purposeHighly contextualApplicationsWide-rangingIndustry-specificCustom GPT Types Hello, dear reader! Today, We are thrilled to guide you through the fascinating world of Custom Generative Pre-trained Transformers, commonly known as Custom GPTs.…

[ojamajodoremisharp]

As June 17th inches closer and closer I REALLY hope this is the general tone of how things are gonna go from here (if the Steam page for it is any indication, at least)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

We bullied HP into a minor act of disenshittification

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me TORONTO TOMORROW (Feb 23) at Another Story Books, and in NYC on WEDNESDAY (26 Feb) with JOHN HODGMAN. More tour dates here.

Here in the darkest days of the enshittocene, enshittification is low quality and plentiful, but even in this target-rich environment, one company stands out as pioneering champions of enshittification: HP.

Every page in the enshittification playbook was printed in farcically expensive HP ink, and if you try to run a copy off for yourself, the printer will stop five times and force you to print a "calibration page" that is solid color from top to bottom, consuming about $10 worth of ink. Don't like it? Die mad.

HP drips with contempt for its customers. They make printer-scanners that won't scan unless all four ink cartridges are installed and haven't reached their best-before dates. They make printers that won't print black and white if your $50 magenta cartridge is low. They sell you printers with special half-full cartridges that need to be replaced pretty much as soon as the printer has run off its mandatory "calibration" pages. The full-serving ink you buy to replace those special demitasse cartridges is also booby-trapped – HP reports them as empty when they're still 20% full.

HP tricks customers into signing up for irrevocable subscriptions where you have to pay every month, whether or not you print, and if you exceed your subscription cap, the printer refuses to work, no matter how much ink is left. Now, about those HP ink subscriptions. When the company launched them, they offered a pot-sweetener meant to tempt in the wary: a one-price "lifetime subscription" that would let you print 15 pages every month, for so long as you owned the printer. But a couple years later, all those "free ink for life" customers got an email telling them that they were being migrated to a monthly payment plan, and if they didn't like it, they could eat shit and throw away their printers:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/06/horrible-products/#inkwars

HP pioneered the use of copyright law to prevent third parties from refilling ink cartridges or making their own compatible cartridges. Section 1201 of Bill Clinton's Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it a felony to distribute a "circumvention device" to bypass access controls on a copyrighted work. By designing its cartridges do undertake a little cryptographic handshake with the printer to verify their "authenticity," HP ensures that anyone who markets a bypass device to let you choose which ink you use in your own damn printer is a felon, liable to five years in prison and a $500 fine under DMCA 1201.

Of course, nature finds a way. Hardware hackers have come up with some insanely cool bypass devices for HP printer cartridges, like these paper-thin, flexible, adhesive-backed circuit boards that wrap around third party cartridges, intercepting communications between the printer and a salvaged HP security chip:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/30/life-finds-a-way/#ink-stained-wretches

But HP fights back, and they fight dirty. For example, they periodically push out "security updates" for their printers that break compatibility with third party cartridges. To prevent HP customers from discovering and blocking these fake security updates, HP designs them to lie dormant for months after installation, until everyone has clicked "OK," and then all those Manchurian Printers wake up and betray their owners by refusing to use their ink:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

All of this has allowed HP to monotonically raise – and raise – and raise – the price of printer ink to the point where it is now the most expensive fluid a civilian can purchase without a permit. Printer ink now runs over $10,000/gallon, meaning that you print out your grocery lists with colored water that costs more than the semen of a Kentucky Derby winner.

HP is truly the poster child for enshittification, and also, patient zero in the enshittification pandemic:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/18/ink-stained-wretches/#hache-pe

HP's enshittificatory impulses run wild. They hunt relentlessly for ways to make things worse for their customers in order to make things better for themselves. Last week, they came up with a humdinger, even by their own standards. They announced that people who called their customer service line would be subject to mandatory 15-minute waits, even if there was a rep who was free to talk with them:

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/20/hp_deliberately_adds_15_minutes/

During this mandatory 15-minute wait, customers would be bombarded with a recorded voice demanding that they solve their problems by consulting HP's website and its awful chatbots. In a competitive market, businesses can contain their customer service costs by making better products. In a monopolistic market like the printer racket, companies can deliberately introduce maddening antifeatures to their products, and then fob off the customers who reach such a peak of frustrated rage that they resort to calling a customer support number on chatbot that will use its spicy autocomplete to hallucinate nonexistent drivers and imaginary troubleshooting steps.

When I saw this, I thought, whelp, that's HP all right. Shameless.

But they're not entirely shameless. Within a day of Paul Kunert breaking the story in The Register, HP had reversed its policy, citing "feedback" (a corporate euphemism that means "fury"):

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/21/hp_ditches_15_minute_wait_time_call_centers/

This is a rare win for the forces of disenhittification and it deserves recognition. It turns out that in these Mangionean times, companies can actually be bullied into comporting themselves with marginally less sleaze and cruelty. It's especially noteworthy that this took place in the UK, where Prime Minister Kier Starmer has invited tech companies to pick Britons' pockets without fear of consequence, by firing the top competition regulator and replacing him with the former head of Amazon UK:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/22/autocrats-of-trade/#dingo-babysitter

Even in these degraded times, we can get these fuckers. When Sonos enshittifies its smart speakers, we can get its CEO fired:

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342179/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-resignation-reason-app

When Unity sticks its hand in the pockets of every game dev in the world, we can get its entire executive team shitcanned:

https://venturebeat.com/games/john-riccitiello-steps-down-as-ceo-of-unity-after-pricing-battle/

It doesn't always work. Enshittifiers rack up some Ws, and make bank even as they immiserate 500 million users (looking at you, Steve Huffman – the people have long memories):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy

But if we can bully the psychotic monsters who populate HP's Executive Row out of their enshittificatory plans, then it's worth trying it every time.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/22/ink-spattered-pitchforks/#racehorse-semen

[hussyknee]

(alt included)

When this person dies I hope their hell is being stuck in a DMV queue, and when it's finally their turn a taciturn lady at the counter keeps snapping vague instructions at them and waving them away to a different queue. Forever.

[lord-shitbox]

my extremely specific/personal headcanon: part of the reason he ties his laces around his shins halfway down his leg is cos his calves are too swole from constant leg bouncing (cos yknow, adhd) for them to go around his leg higher up

[carriesthewind]

Hmm, is that the sound of chickens, beginning to come home to roost?

After months of resisting, Air Canada was forced to give a partial refund to a grieving passenger who was misled by an airline chatbot inaccurately explaining the airline's bereavement travel policy. ... Air Canada was seemingly so invested in experimenting with AI that Crocker told the Globe and Mail that "Air Canada’s initial investment in customer service AI technology was much higher than the cost of continuing to pay workers to handle simple queries." It was worth it, Crocker said, because "the airline believes investing in automation and machine learning technology will lower its expenses" and '"fundamentally" create "a better customer experience."

I also highly recommend reading the decision itself:

Highlights:

"In effect, Air Canada suggests the chatbot is a separate legal entity that is responsible for its own actions. This is a remarkable submission."

"While Air Canada argues Mr. Moffatt could find the correct information on another part of its website, it does not explain why the webpage titled “Bereavement travel” was inherently more trustworthy than its chatbot. It also does not explain why customers should have to double-check information found in one part of its website on another part of its website."

And not "AI" related, but delicious snark:

"Air Canada is a sophisticated litigant that should know it is not enough in a legal process to assert that a contract says something without actually providing the contract."

[maepop]

i started a sheezy profile if anyone wants to follow 🥺 im still slowly uploading a backlog of art on it but yeah!

[hiibentley]

Is this beauty or what???

[prettiesforyou]

A nod to the fantastic, elaborate high-end fashion dolls of @misspleats. Thanks for all the inspiration on fabrics, colours, styles, necklines, hemlines and poses and everything else, fellow esoteric pervert 😎

[nanasrealities]

Real footage of me watching my favorite apps incorporate AI onto their platform instead of hiring me (I have degree in taking-the-most-mudane-things-and-turning-them-into-something-beautifulology from Daydream University and am willing work in exchange for volunteer hours and the ability to say I worked for them in all my future resumes)…

nanas note : I forgot to mention this before but thank you for 230+ followers !! I'm so grateful for all of you guys !! <3

[llazyneiph]

✨ 🏰 MEDIEVAL MELODIES 🏰 ✨

Embark on a timeless musical journey!

Delve into the rich tapestry of yore with four new stations. Enrich any EA or Custom Content music player with these historically-inspired instrumental stations:

🪕 Lute 🎹 Harpsichord 🎻 Fiddle 🎶 Flute

Your sims can also now assign medieval music as their favourite genre! Alternatively, they can also dislike it!

⚠️ Important: For seamless integration, ensure you have SashaT1804's custom channels injector. This ensures compatibility and prevents clashes with other radio mods. Download here.

🌟 Available now for all patrons across every tier. Public download on the 15th of September!

🔗 DOWNLOAD NOW

Royalty Free music credits can be found here 

[wickjump]

im gonna start posting fanfic recs btw whenever i find good ones. both here and my (awfully barren) 18+ account. because there are so many good fics out there with so few hits and fewer kudos and sometimes no comments period and it SUCKS because i REALLY LIKE THEM A LOT.. and i hope that by linking them here and yelling at everyone to COMMENT DAMMIT they might actually do it

seriously though any comment means a lot. most people who read a fic don’t even give a kudos. even if the fic wasn’t top tier, if you didn’t dislike it, hand over some kudos!! and if you liked it, comment!!!! even if the comment is one singular heart emoji it will be appreciated. if the comment just says “great fic!” the author will be happy. your comment doesn’t have to be this long winded gushing or analysis.

so many authors quit writing or lose motivation because the comments are few and far in between or just sometimes nonexistent. trust me when i say authors don’t care about how long or cool or smart sounding your comment is i promise!!!

i hope that mmmaybe recommending fics and telling people to comment might help fics i really like get more support maybe. and i, points at you reading this, hope that you will listen!!!at least a little….at least sum kudos….

[golddust-enby]

Here's the Touchstarved-inspired perfume reviews! These were the two most popular ones in the poll (Demon Renegade for Ais and Heroic Mage for Leander) in body mist form.

Demon Renegade: Cinnamon leaf, whiskey, saltwater, dried flowers, leather, mahogany, red musk, and smoke.

Inspiration: Ais from Touchstarved. Since not all of the Touchstarved characters have flowers associated with them that have notes available, I decided to give them all some sort of alcohol to keep a theme of some sort. For Ais, I wanted a fireball whiskey vibe. The saltwater, dried flowers, and mahogany are for his home at the Seaspring while the leather and smoke were things I recall him being described as smelling like. The red musk is for the Aesthetic. Also, the dried flowers note is described as dried pressed camellias, daisies, lilies, iris, and sandalwood.

Cursory Sniff: This one smells very different to me! I feel like the saltwater and dried flowers are the notes that stick out the most to my nose. The other notes are there as well, but those two were the ones I detected first.

Wearing: This smells like what I think the Seaspring would smell like. Saltwater, smoke, dried flowers, and all that other stuff. This is the most atmospheric so far, I think. Kind of peculiar, but definitely not bad. It leans a bit masculine in terms of notes, but it's not in your face or otherwise too strong.

About an Hour Later: I feel like the mahogany is coming out a bit more. Overall, this smells like having some whiskey with Ais at the Seaspring to me. It's not my usual style, but I find it interesting and think I'd wear it more in the fall and winter seasons.

Heroic Mage: Fizz, lily, green apple, smoked cognac, rosewater rice pudding, juniper berry, and musk.

Inspiration: Leander from Touchstarved. There's fizz, lily, and green apple for the fun little conjuration Leander did while meeting him (along with lilies being his flower in general). I thought smoked cognac and juniper berries would be a fancy little choice for him, since he does have a connection to the Senobium and Hightown culture, even if he somewhat distances himself from all that. The rosewater rice pudding is for the nice little treat he mentions and the musk is a reference to him being the first character able to safely touch our hands in the story.

Cursory Sniff: Fizzy green apple with a hint of lily, along with those juniper berries and rosewater rice pudding! The smoked cognac and musk seem like they lurk a bit, but they're just more grounding than being a big showcase.

Wearing: I feel the notes are translating to a delicious fizzy, fruity drink paired with that rosewater rice pudding. If you like something foodie and don't mind these notes, it seems very promising.

About an Hour Later: The fizz has faded off, but the other notes are still pretty easy to catch. I like this one and I'm glad the lily didn't amp. I think I also smell the smoked cognac just a little more.

[enviousennui]

I love my phone setup so much...you can tell I have a favourite-

I like her a normal amount. Credit under the cut

Syo - @funishment-time

Maid Tokomaru - @jackie-kawaii

Tokomugi - commission by @chomplicated

Toko/Syo transparent - @wolfmanritch

Tokomaru/Syomaru transparents - @princescar (can't wait for the keychain to arrive btw, so excited to put them in my itabag)

Toko lace - @rottenpuppet

Toko/Syomaru sketches - commission by @naegamisupremacy

Top and bottom moodboards - @socte-blue

Middle moodboard - @witchy-hut-silly-closet

Tokomaru Cupid - ych commission by @flandrepudding

Toko transparent - @shegs

Stun gun - @shegs

Misc - I got them through random transparent PNG blogs. I cannot link back to those they've been in my set up for ages.

The lace I use for my Toko/Syo ask blog. I can't quite remember where I found it but I made it transparent myself.