#bitcoin container

[viperallc]

Bitcoin Mine Box 1.2MW — A Deep Dive into Its Core Components

In the world of cryptocurrency mining, the efficiency and robustness of the mining setup are paramount. Today, we’re exploring the Bitcoin Mine Box 1.2MW, a state-of-the-art solution designed for peak performance and reliability. Let’s delve into the key components that make this mine box an exceptional choice for miners.

Main Components for Optimal Performance

1. Power Distribution Excellence The heart of the Bitcoin Mine Box 1.2MW is its power distribution system. It features 15 integrated power distribution sockets (220V 180A US 13 holes, Brand YEY), ensuring consistent power supply to all mining units. This robust setup is essential for maintaining continuous mining operations.

2. Advanced Monitoring The inclusion of an intelligent current and voltage digital display meter (PD606L-964T 45V 5A) allows for real-time monitoring of the power usage, a crucial aspect for optimizing energy consumption and ensuring the longevity of the mining hardware.

3. Enhanced Electrical Measurement A three-phase electrical watt-hour digital display meter (DTS606 3X220/380V Class I 3X1.5(6)A Mutual Inductance, Brand NOARK) is a testament to the Mine Box’s commitment to precision and efficiency in power management.

4. Reliable Safety Features Safety in such high-powered setups is non-negotiable. The Mine Box includes thermal relays (EX9R38 4A, Brand NOARK) and both molded and air circuit breakers (Models M6N1200E3, B1H3D10, B1H2D16, Brand NOARK) to protect against electrical hazards.

5. User-Friendly Operations Illuminated start and stop buttons (Model EX9PLH, Brand NOARK) add convenience and safety to the operation process, enhancing user interaction with the system.

6. Extensive Wiring Solutions A whopping 480 meters of insulated cable (US AWG 12/4MM) ensures that the setup can be customized according to the spatial needs of the mining operation.

Certified and Safe Every component within this Mine Box is certified by US UL or the US version of CSA, ensuring they meet the stringent needs of mine box use.

Auxiliary Accessories for Enhanced Functionality

1. Energy-Efficient Lighting

The Mine Box includes energy-saving lamps (18W E27 Thread) and lighting switches for optimal illumination, reducing the overall energy footprint of the mining operation.

2. Essential Accessories

From cold noses (OT-1–6 and UT-1–4) and bobbins (ZQ-6 and ZQ-10 black) to line slots and insulators, every accessory has been thoughtfully included to ensure smooth operation and maintenance.

Robust Frame and Infrastructure

1. Sturdy Build The Mine Box’s frame is built with steel pipes and square pipes, ensuring a durable and robust structure that can withstand the rigors of continuous mining operations.

2. Comprehensive Cooling Solutions With fans, water curtains, and other cooling solutions, the Mine Box is designed to maintain optimal temperatures, crucial for the longevity and efficiency of mining hardware.

3. Additional Features The box also includes full body paint, shelves, structural adhesive, emergency doors, and more to ensure both functionality and durability.

Conclusion The Bitcoin Mine Box 1.2MW is not just a mining setup; it’s a comprehensive solution designed for serious miners who prioritize efficiency, safety, and reliability. Its carefully curated components and robust build make it a top choice in the world of cryptocurrency mining.

Ready to Elevate Your Mining Game? Visit ViperaTech today to order your Bitcoin Mine Box 1.2MW and take the first step towards a more efficient and profitable mining future!

M.Hussnain Visit us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube TikTok

[swearingcactus]

when will these assholes realize i think cyberpunk is only cool when keanu reeves is on screen about it instead of when im actively being victimized

[pierreism]

Here We Are (Original Cast Recording) | Stephen Sondheim (Full Album Audio)

What was it I was supposed to do today? No matter. What a perfect day, on a day like today—because the original cast recording of Here We Are is now available to purchase/stream.

via Concord Theatricals Recordings

[darcyolsson]

in loving memory of tumblr's april fools' pranks 💐 2014 - 2024

icymi, tumblr used to do an elaborate april fool's prank every year, but this year they suddenly stopped. here's a somewhat detailed recap of everything they did over the decade:

2013 - mishapocalypse (honourable mention): tumblr staff didn’t start doing april fools until 2014, but the mishapocalypse happened on tumblr in 2013 and i feel like this list would be incomplete without it

2014 - tumblrpro: upon opening your dash you were greeted by an “inspirational” video, that ended with the option to get “tumblrpro (for free)”. all it did was put a top hat on your icon.

2015 - tumblr executivesuite/coppy: a copying machine appeared in the corner of your dash. it would offer tips on how to use tumblr, like clippy the paperclip used to do in microsoft word. as the day went on, it slowly broke down and died right in front of your eyes. many people hated him (but not me). you could also make a (small) spreadsheet. @executivesuite2016 is the official blog.

2016 - this is decision/lizard election/tumblrdecides: a parody of the 2016 US elections. there were 4 lizards (well, one of them turned out to be a salamander in a scandal) to vote for. the dash looked different and there was a live news report with election updates, as well as an election blog for each lizard. they all had their own slogans and you would get an "i voted" button after you voted that would get slapped next to your icon. there were built-in functions to make an election poster for your favourite lizard and to create a text post that supported your lizard of choice that autogenerated a statement for all your followers to read. imo tumblr’s april fools peak. @thisisdecision2016-blog is the official blog, @mop-2016-blog @wretchedtooth @timefordeborah-blog were candidates. rick also had a blog (rick-official) but that now seems to have vanished because he ended up dropping out of the election. mop won, if you're curious. by far the most elaborate prank tumblr ever did.

2017 - horse friend: a tamagotchi-inspired game where you had to take care of a little horse in the corner of your screen. it came with a randomly generated name, and you had to feed and clean up after it. if you didnt take good care of it, it died. you could then hatch (yes, hatch) a new one. there was also an option to look at the names of all your dead horses. this is now available to buy in the tumblr shop. @horse-friends is the official blog.

2018 - tumblcoin: a parody of cryptocurrency (this was the year bitcoin took off). you could ‘invest’ in tumblcoin, with which you could in turn buy things with to spice up your dash, including last year’s horse friend, coppy from 2015, and a frame for around your icon. you could share the amount of tumblcoin you owned in an automatically generated gif post which would be tagged #tbc2018 and #tumblcoin. @tumblcoin is the official blog.

2019 - @memories: this blog still functions the way it did on april fools itself! it's like mad libs, where it takes post templates and then adds in tags you use a lot and users you frequently interact with on your main blog. like a personalized shitpost bot.

2020 - group chat prank/@storybot: it was so hard to find info on this because it was contained entirely in the now-defunct group chat function, which no one used. i had to go through the notes of this post for information because no one cared enough to actually write anything explaining it. turns out, you could write a story with your mutuals by adding storybot to your group chat. it also kept working after april fools (well, up until the group chats were deleted) just like memories. many people missed out on it entirely because they did not use the group chat function.

2021 - tumblcryptids: tumblr allowed you to adopt “non-fungible tumblcryptids”, a parody of NFTs. clicking a button that said "Summon thy Tumblrcryptid" would spawn an image of a little blob-shaped creature with a short description, which would always read "Hi! My name is [randomly generated name]. I love [thing most people like]. I hate [thing most people dislike]. Like my parent, I can't get enough of #[tag from your main blog]." you could share them in a post, which would automatically add the tag #NFTumblcryptids to your post. and yes, people on the piss on the poor website freaked out about it because they thought they were real NFTs harming the environment. @tumblcryptidadoptioncenter is the official blog.

2022 - click-a-thon: when you clicked a light switch on your dashboard, a bunch of colourful things showed up, like a sponge you could move around, an "engagament meter", clickable buttons, and a “Summon Crab!” button, which would summon a crab when you clicked it. you could. the crabs, like horse friend, are still available in the tumblr store as of 2025. here's some screenshots. there were various ways to share your crab activities, which would all get tagged #april fools 2022. the prank was presented as a marketing technique created by Brick Whartley, a fictional businessman character created by tumblr, who (afaik) originated in a post on the official blog of the 2018 april fools prank, albeit originally in a different role. around this time he also started functioning as the mascot for tumblr's shop ( @emporium )

2023 - abstract reactions (emoji reacts): buttons were added to every post that allowed you to add emoji reactions, many of them based on tumblr inside jokes (horse as a reference to horse plinko/horse friend, vanilla for the vanilla extract meme, pikaman, bug for bug race, and brick whartley, who wasn't a meme but staff really wanted him to be). if one specific emoji was used a certain amount of times it would add an effect to the post, eg many cheese emoji reacts would cover the post in cheese. this was also attributed to Brick Whartley ("his" blog @brickwhartley also documented the day)

2024 - boop-o-meter: allowed you to “boop” other users who had opted in to the booping, like facebook’s poke feature back in the day. depending on how long you held the button, you would either boop, super boop, or evil boop. on the dashboard there was a counter for both how many times you had booped others and how many times others had booped you, as well as how many boops were given side-wide. when booping someone, an image of a cat paw appeared. you would get badges (which can still be used) for booping 1, 100 and 1000 times. if you gave/received more than 999 boops, the counter would switch to showing a three-letter word (see this post for specifics). this was brought back for halloween 2024 (as BOOp-o-meter. get it), with a ghost, skeleton and mummy paw. no official blog, but here's an official recap for april first from staff. i believe this was the only april fools prank that was mobile user friendly.

2025 - @fandom is running some polls, i guess

[base-eight]

Understanding Bitcoin to Sats: A Simplified Guide

In the world of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin remains a frontrunner, captivating both seasoned investors and newcomers alike. As Bitcoin’s popularity soars, many individuals are beginning to explore its subdivisions, specifically the concept of converting Bitcoin to sats (satoshis).

What are Satoshis?

Named after Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, a satoshi is the smallest unit of Bitcoin. One Bitcoin is divisible into 100 million satoshis, making it a more manageable and practical option for transactions. This fractionalization is especially useful as the price of Bitcoin continues to rise, allowing users to engage with smaller amounts without needing to purchase a full Bitcoin.

Why Convert Bitcoin to Sats?

The primary reason for converting Bitcoin to sats is accessibility. As Bitcoin's value reaches new heights, the thought of investing in a whole Bitcoin can be daunting for newcomers. By understanding and utilizing satoshis, individuals can invest in smaller increments, enabling them to diversify their portfolios without breaking the bank.

Moreover, using sats can simplify transactions. For instance, if you want to send someone a small amount of Bitcoin as a gift or for a service, doing so in satoshis can make the transaction feel less overwhelming. Instead of sending 0.0001 BTC, you can send 10,000 sats—this smaller figure can make the transaction feel more relatable.

How to Convert Bitcoin to Sats?

Converting Bitcoin to satoshis is a straightforward process. Most cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges automatically display balances in both Bitcoin and satoshis. If you’re curious about how many sats are in your Bitcoin wallet, simply multiply your Bitcoin amount by 100,000,000. For example, if you have 0.1 BTC, that equates to 10,000,000 sats.

Using Sats in Transactions

As Bitcoin continues to evolve, more platforms are beginning to accept payments in satoshis. This shift means that users can engage in everyday transactions without needing to worry about converting back to Bitcoin. From purchasing coffee to online services, the ability to transact in satoshis fosters a greater acceptance of cryptocurrency in everyday life.

Conclusion

Understanding the conversion from Bitcoin to sats opens up a world of possibilities for both new and seasoned cryptocurrency enthusiasts. By leveraging the satoshi, users can navigate the crypto landscape with ease, making it a valuable tool in the ever-growing digital economy. As we continue to embrace this technology, converting Bitcoin to sats will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in enhancing accessibility and usability within the cryptocurrency community.

[tanadrin]

the invention of hell money by mortals is a huge problem actually since it’s caused terrible hell hyperinflation. king yan, the ruler of diyu, has repeatedly asked mortal princes to implement reforms to stem the tide of remittances from the living, but the dreams of hideous demons chanting about monetary policy sent to various finance ministers seem to have had no effect. attempts to demonetize various forms of hell money have been fruitless, as burned offerings simply materialize in whatever form is currently legal tender in the underworld. king yan has petitioned the jade emperor for permission to invade the world of the living directly to punish mortals for their lack of macroeconomic knowledge, but the request has been held up in the heavenly bureaucracy since the 1890s. so if you do want to make offerings to your loved ones in the afterlife, you might want to try saying a prayer over a usb stick containing a copy of your bitcoin wallet, then smashing it with a hammer.

[seat-safety-switch]

For some reason I can't understand, the local mall still has a travel agent. She seems to be doing pretty well, too, judging from her new Porsche and her exquisite office digs. As you can imagine, this whole thing was confusing to me, because I thought the internet had worked hard to crush all small business proprietors such as herself under an algorithmic boot the size of Topeka. So what was going on here? I had to get to the bottom of it.

As I said, the internet has done a lot to get rid of travel agents. If I wanted to go to Osaka (great food, better Hondas) I could just ask Siri to do it. Ted Siri is the name of the nice person at the library who I tell all my passwords and credit card numbers to, and then he puts them in the computer. That's not his real name, because he tries to keep it safe from "crackers," but I digress. On the internet, the lowest-cost flight is going to take 192 hours and involve my organs getting stolen and sold for Bitcoins, but the second lowest-cost flight is on Air Canada, where the stewardesses spit directly into your mouth when you ask for a drink. Some folks pay extra for that (and you will, too. Spit's not free.)

If the travel agent was still travel agenting, she must be charging an insane amount of money and not getting busted for it. I had to know how this worked, so that I, too, could have my own little mall office that doesn't make any economic sense yet persists until the heat death of the universe. You see, owning a tiny office in a mall was one of my childhood dreams, one that is quickly becoming impossible due to the collapse of malls.

Unfortunately, detective work of this grade doesn't come cheap. For instance, I had to get up and out of the house during the hours that the travel agency was open. Agnes (that's her name, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier?) wouldn't be working at the 11:30-11:45 pm "productivity hour" that I read about in a life hacking magazine. She would be busy doing something that normal people do at this hour, possibly sleeping or barbecuing.

As much as it pained me, I forced my body to get out of bed at around ten in the morning and stumble into Agnes's travel office. It was then that I discovered she wasn't there at all. Inside the space allocated for her travel agency, beyond the pretty ornamentation and fantastic brochures of the waiting room, was a room containing only a crudely-carved set of stairs reaching deep, deep under the mall. It was only then that I remembered that I never saw any customers leaving the travel agency.

Everything worked out in the end, though. She got me a great deal on a flight/hotel package to Osaka, and all it cost me was a little teensy-tiny bite of my liver. Don't even miss it, really, although it was a bit insulting when she started choking, hissing, and screaming while thrashing on the ground, her arms flailing violently against the stone surface of the travel agency's cave.

"What's in this?" she screamed before dissolving into a red mist.

"Rotella," I said after some thought.

[thsyu-global]

Thsyu Alert: Bitcoin Pauses Near $69k as Weakening Yuan Tests China's Capital Controls – Policy Impact Analysis

Bitcoin's (BTC) recent upward momentum stalled Tuesday, consolidating around the $69,000 mark despite a potentially potent bullish catalyst emerging from Asia: the weakening Chinese Yuan (CNH). While BTC initially dipped nearly 2% over 24 hours to ~$68,900, the offshore Yuan slid further against the US Dollar, trading above 7.27, reflecting persistent depreciation pressures potentially linked to PBoC policy divergence and broader economic headwinds.

Data Point: USD/CNH > 7.27 vs. BTC ~$69k (April 8-9).

Policy Impact: The core tension lies between the Yuan's weakness potentially driving capital flight towards alternative stores of value like Bitcoin, and Beijing's stringent Capital Controls and existing ban on cryptocurrency trading within the mainland. Historically, significant Yuan devaluation has correlated with increased BTC buying pressure, interpreted as a hedge against currency depreciation by Chinese investors accessing offshore markets. However, the effectiveness of this channel is constantly tested by regulatory enforcement. Market observers on global platforms, including Thsyu, are closely monitoring flows for signs of this dynamic re-emerging despite policy barriers.

The current Bitcoin price consolidation, however, suggests the Yuan's influence is currently muted or offset by other factors. Analysts point to normalizing spot Bitcoin ETF inflows in the US, pre-halving profit-taking (with the event estimated mid-April), and general macroeconomic uncertainty tempering aggressive bids. Bitcoin failed to sustain moves above the critical $71,500 resistance level earlier this week, indicating trader caution.

Geopolitical Context: The PBoC's accommodative stance contrasts sharply with the Federal Reserve's data-dependent approach, contributing to yield differentials pressuring the Yuan. This divergence occurs amidst ongoing global trade frictions and geopolitical maneuvering, making currency stability a key policy focus for Beijing. Any perceived increase in capital outflows triggered by Yuan weakness could invite tighter enforcement actions, impacting crypto sentiment indirectly. For traders using platforms like Thsyu, understanding these policy crosscurrents is vital.

Market Reaction: While the "weak Yuan = strong Bitcoin" narrative persists, current price action suggests the market is weighing regulatory friction and other dominant crypto-native factors more heavily. The immediate impact of Yuan depreciation appears contained by China's policy framework for now. Yet, sustained currency weakness remains a key variable; a significant break lower in the Yuan could still test the resilience of capital controls and potentially fuel demand visible on exchanges like Thsyu.

Outlook: The interplay between PBoC policy, Yuan stability, China's regulatory grip, and global crypto market drivers like the upcoming halving and ETF flows creates a complex outlook. Monitoring Beijing's policy signals regarding capital flows and enforcement alongside broader crypto market indicators remains crucial for navigating potential volatility. Users on the Thsyu platform are advised to stay informed on these fast-moving geopolitical and regulatory developments impacting digital asset valuations. The coming weeks will be critical in determining if the Yuan slide translates from a theoretical catalyst into tangible market momentum.

[feminist-space]

"In the age of smart fridges, connected egg crates, and casino fish tanks doubling as entry points for hackers, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that sex toys have joined the Internet of Things (IoT) party.

But not all parties are fun, and this one comes with a hefty dose of risk: data breaches, psychological harm, and even physical danger.

Let’s dig into why your Bluetooth-enabled intimacy gadget might be your most vulnerable possession — and not in the way you think.

The lure of remote-controlled intimacy gadgets isn’t hard to understand. Whether you’re in a long-distance relationship or just like the convenience, these devices have taken the market by storm.

According to a 2023 study commissioned by the U.K.’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), these toys are some of the most vulnerable consumer IoT products.

And while a vibrating smart egg or a remotely controlled chastity belt might sound futuristic, the risks involved are decidedly dystopian.

Forbes’ Davey Winder flagged the issue four years ago when hackers locked users into a chastity device, demanding a ransom to unlock it.

Fast forward to now, and the warnings are louder than ever. Researchers led by Dr. Mark Cote found multiple vulnerabilities in these devices, primarily those relying on Bluetooth connectivity.

Alarmingly, many of these connections lack encryption, leaving the door wide open for malicious third parties.

If you’re picturing some low-stakes prank involving vibrating gadgets going haywire, think again. The risks are far graver.

According to the DSIT report, hackers could potentially inflict physical harm by overheating a device or locking it indefinitely. Meanwhile, the psychological harm could stem from sensitive data — yes, that kind of data — being exposed or exploited.

A TechCrunch exposé revealed that a security researcher breached a chastity device’s database containing over 10,000 users’ information. That was back in June, and the manufacturer still hasn’t addressed the issue.

In another incident, users of the CellMate connected chastity belt reported hackers demanding $750 in bitcoin to unlock devices. Fortunately, one man who spoke to Vice hadn’t been wearing his when the attack happened. Small mercies, right?

These aren’t isolated events. Standard Innovation Corp., the maker of the We-Vibe toy, settled for $3.75 million in 2017 after it was discovered the device was collecting intimate data without user consent.

A sex toy with a camera was hacked the same year, granting outsiders access to its live feed.

And let’s not forget: IoT toys are multiplying faster than anyone can track, with websites like Internet of Dongs monitoring the surge.

If the thought of a connected chastity belt being hacked makes you uneasy, consider this: sex toys are just a small piece of the IoT puzzle.

There are an estimated 17 billion connected devices worldwide, ranging from light bulbs to fitness trackers — and, oddly, smart egg crates.

Yet, as Microsoft’s 2022 Digital Defense Report points out, IoT security is lagging far behind its software and hardware counterparts.

Hackers are opportunistic. If there’s a way in, they’ll find it. Case in point: a casino lost sensitive customer data after bad actors accessed its network through smart sensors in a fish tank.

If a fish tank isn’t safe, why would we expect a vibrating gadget to be?

Here’s where the frustration kicks in: these vulnerabilities are preventable.

The DSIT report notes that many devices rely on unencrypted Bluetooth connections or insecure APIs for remote control functionality.

Fixing these flaws is well within the reach of manufacturers, yet companies routinely fail to prioritize security.

Even basic transparency around data collection would be a step in the right direction. Users deserve to know what’s being collected, why, and how it’s protected. But history suggests the industry is reluctant to step up.

After all, if companies like Standard Innovation can get away with quietly siphoning off user data, why would smaller players bother to invest in robust security?

So, what’s a smart-toy enthusiast to do? First, ask yourself: do you really need your device to be connected to an app?

If the answer is no, then maybe it’s best to go old school. If remote connectivity is a must, take some precautions.

Keep software updated: Ensure both the device firmware and your phone’s app are running the latest versions. Updates often include critical security patches.

Use secure passwords: Avoid default settings and choose strong, unique passwords for apps controlling your devices.

Limit app permissions: Only grant the app the bare minimum of permissions needed for functionality.

Vet the manufacturer: Research whether the company has a history of addressing security flaws. If they’ve been caught slacking before, it’s a red flag.

The conversation around sex toy hacking isn’t just about awkward headlines — it’s about how we navigate a world increasingly dependent on connected technology. As devices creep further into every corner of our lives, from the bedroom to the kitchen, the stakes for privacy and security continue to rise.

And let’s face it: there’s something uniquely unsettling about hackers turning moments of intimacy into opportunities for exploitation.

If companies won’t take responsibility for protecting users, then consumers need to start asking tough questions — and maybe think twice before connecting their pleasure devices to the internet.

As for the manufacturers? The message is simple: step up or step aside.

No one wants to be the next headline in a tale of hacked chastity belts and hijacked intimacy. And if you think that’s funny, just wait until your light bulb sells your Wi-Fi password.

This is where IoT meets TMI. Stay connected, but stay safe."

https://thartribune.com/government-warns-couples-that-sex-toys-remain-a-tempting-target-for-hackers-with-the-potential-to-be-weaponized/

[kalikalahansa]

On generative AI

I've had 2 asks about this lately so I feel like it's time to post a clarifying statement.

I will not provide assistance related to using "generative artificial intelligence" ("genAI") [1] applications such as ChatGPT. This is because, for ethical and functional reasons, I am opposed to genAI.

I am opposed to genAI because its operators steal the work of people who create, including me. This complaint is usually associated with text-to-image (T2I) models, like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, which generate "AI art". However, large language models (LLMs) do the same thing, just with text. ChatGPT was trained on a large research dataset known as the Common Crawl (Brown et al, 2020). For an unknown period ending at latest 29 August 2023, Tumblr did not discourage Common Crawl crawlers from scraping the website (Changes on Tumblr, 2023). Since I started writing on this blog circa 2014–2015 and have continued fairly consistently in the interim, that means the Common Crawl incorporates a significant quantity of my work. If it were being used for academic research, I wouldn't mind. If it were being used by another actual human being, I wouldn't mind, and if they cited me, I definitely wouldn't mind. But it's being ground into mush and extruded without credit by large corporations run by people like Sam Altman (see Hoskins, 2025) and Elon Musk (see Ingram, 2024) and the guy who ruined Google (Zitron, 2024), so I mind a great deal.

I am also opposed to genAI because of its excessive energy consumption and the lengths to which its operators go to ensure that energy is supplied. Individual cases include the off-grid power station which is currently poisoning Black people in Memphis, Tennessee (Kerr, 2025), so that Twitter's genAI application Grok can rant incoherently about "white genocide" (Steedman, 2025). More generally, as someone who would prefer to avoid getting killed for my food and water in a few decades' time, I am unpleasantly reminded of the study that found that bitcoin mining emissions alone could make runaway climate change impossible to prevent (Mora et al, 2018). GenAI is rapidly scaling up to produce similar amounts of emissions, with the same consequences, for the same reasons (Luccioni, 2024). [2]

It is theoretically possible to create genAI which doesn't steal and which doesn't destroy the planet. Nobody's going to do it, and if they do do it, no significant share of the userbase will migrate to it in the foreseeable future — same story as, again, bitcoin — but it's theoretically possible. However, I also advise against genAI for any application which requires facts, because it can't intentionally tell the truth. It can't intentionally do anything; it is a system for using a sophisticated algorithm to assemble words in plausibly coherent ways. Try asking it about the lore of a media property you're really into and see how long it takes to start spouting absolute crap. It also can't take correction; it literally cannot, it is unable — the way the neural network is trained means that simply inserting a factual correction, even with administrator access, is impossible even in principle.

GenAI can never "ascend" to intelligence; it's not a petri dish in which an artificial mind can grow; it doesn't contain any more of the stuff of consciousness than a spreadsheet. The fact that it seems like it really must know what it's saying means nothing. To its contemporaries, ELIZA seemed like that too (Weizenbaum, 1966).

The stuff which is my focus on this blog — untraining and more broadly AB/DL in general — is not inherently dangerous or sensitive, but it overlaps with stuff which, despite being possible to access and use in a safe manner, has the potential for great danger. This is heightened quite a bit given genAI's weaknesses around the truth. If you ask ChatGPT whether it's safe to down a whole bottle of castor oil, as long as you use the right words, even unintentionally, it will happily tell you to go ahead. If I endorse or recommend genAI applications for this kind of stuff, or assist with their use, I am encouraging my readers toward something I know to be unsafe. I will not be doing that. Future asks on the topic will go unanswered.

Notes

I use quote marks here because as far as I am concerned, both "generative artificial intelligence" and "genAI" are misleading labels adopted for branding purposes; in short, lies. GenAI programs aren't artificial intelligences because they don't think, and because they don't emulate thinking or incorporate human thinking; they're just a program for associating words in a mathematically sophisticated but deterministic way. "GenAI" is also a lie because it's intended to associate generative AI applications with artificial general intelligence (AGI), i.e., artificial beings that actually think, or pretend to as well as a human does. However, there is no alternative term at the moment, and I understand I look weird if I use quote marks throughout the piece, so I dispense with them after this point.

As a mid-to-low-income PC user I am also pissed off that GPUs are going to get worse and more expensive again, but that kind of pales in comparison to everything else.

References

Brown, T.B., Mann, B., Ryder, N., Subbiah, M., Kaplan, J., ... & Amodei, D. (2020, July 22). Language models are few-shot learners [version 4]. arXiv. doi: 10.48660/arXiv.2005.14165. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Changes on Tumblr (2023, August 29). Tuesday, August 29th, 2023 [Text post]. Tumblr. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Hoskins, P. (2025, January 8). ChatGPT creator denies sister's childhood rape claim. BBC News. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Ingram, D. (2024, June 13). Elon Musk and SpaceX sued by former employees alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. NBC News. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Kerr, D. (2025, April 25). Elon Musk's xAI accused of pollution over Memphis supercomputer. The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Luccioni, S. (2024, December 18). Generative AI and climate change are on a collision course. Wired. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Mora, C., Rollins, R.L., Taladay, K., Kantar, M.B., Chock, M.K., ... & Franklin, E.C. (2018, October 29). Bitcoin emissions alone could push global warming above 2°C. Nature Climate Change, 8, 931–933. doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0321-8. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Steedman, E. (2025, May 25). For hours, chatbot Grok wanted to talk about a 'white genocide'. It gave a window into the pitfalls of AI. ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Weizenbaum, J. (1966, January). ELIZA—a computer program for the study of natural language communication between man and machine. Communications of the ACM, 9(1), 36–45. doi: 10.1145/365153.365168. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

Zitron, E. (2024, April 23). The man who killed Google Search. Where's Your Ed At. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

[sunsetsands]

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[a-d-nox]

it is my birthday tomorrow: so let's review the predictions i made last year based on my solar return chart

about a year ago, i made a predictions post for my year ahead and now here i am updating y'all with what actually happened as i previously suggested that i would! so let's jump into it - i pasted all my previous predictions in to this post for your reading ease!

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

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1H IN LIBRA AT 12° (contains: scorpio sun and narcissus (37117))

prediction: there is likely to be a relational focus this year and with venus (the house ruler) in the 12h it is likely to be with myself (what us my relationship with my self? how can i better treat myself? etc). my diplomacy skills are likely not going to be the best as i look at the 10h/11h, what is sitting in those houses, and that pisces degree on my 1h... with my scorpio sun present in the house, it is likely that it will be obvious that i trust no one this year (people may suspect that i only trust myself - they could feel as though i look down on them or think little of them). my sun is opposite my moon so i might feel a bit disconnected from myself... with my sun in the 1h, i will likely have a super intense vibe (not that i don't already) but in a way that seems like magnetism because it is a libra 1h? like drawing others in? i do feel like this year is going to be the sort where i am discovering who i am and who i want to be (i just have to make sure it doesn't get out of hand with the sun and narcissus (especially with his conjunction to my sun, mercury, and mars) present).

reality: i still do need to make my relationship with myself better. but it has become very apparent that i need to do so this year. i have been prioritizing things that i don't really care about more than those things i do care about. like money. the focus on money this year is really starting to annoy me can't wait to move on to something else... making money and job related stuff has taken priority over my health, my friends, my family, etc. and making a hobby into a business / job / side hustle has really annoyed me this year because i use to really enjoy doing this but i am starting to really hate it. and it truly is taking up a lot of my time. i work a full time job - i am there 45 hours a week only to come home write posts or readings for another 10 hours a week - that might sound like nothing but its really not in the grand scheme because i am starting to get older and realize that everything is a trade off. that's 10 hours i didn't exercise, i didn't see family, i didn't see friends, etc. and part of that is because i don't appreciate myself the way i should. your 20s are really precious - you are your healthiest, most free, etc. and i am spending it on fleeting things. it is possible one day i could wake up and everything i have done here won't matter - it's immaterial it could just fade into cyberspace. just like my job one day i could wake up and unknowingly it will be my last - the world of technology is ever changing. things are moving faster than ever before and i find myself cling to things locking in while everything around me goes miles a minute. change is happening and i am not letting myself go with it. i want to be my best self - which is a practice i preach to everyone but myself. that being things might evolve here as well as i try my best to live and do so authentically in the coming year.

2H IN SCORPIO AT 9° (contains: scorpio mercury, mars, and kassandra (114) AND sagittarius educatio (2440) and pythia (432))

prediction: what an interesting mix of stuff i have here... money makes the world go round this year i guess. my mercury is at 9° and my mars is at 11° - can i just cry a little...? bro wtf is bitcoin and why do i feel like i am gonna get into the world of online investing...? the coupling of these two planets (especially mars as the 2h ruler) makes me feel as though i will be making money and spending it or moving it relatively quick so that i can't use it? i say "i can't use it" because my mars opposes jupiter which makes me think of compounding interest like a CD... anywho, i am a money wizard? i have kassandra and pythia here, so i feel like i will probably make investments and use my money in unexpected ways (kassandra makes me think of emergency funds OR bad financial contracts though). i also have educatio here so at least i will be learning more about financial literacy plus i do think with mercury i will be extremely interested in learning more about finances. and with mars... it might just become a new passion of mine... aside from money, while i am likely to continue a lot of giving and receiving of knowledge this next year on social media (mercury things), there is a danger to the realm of social media... ESPECIALLY with mars present and both mercury and mars conjunct my sun then all three opposing jupiter... my self worth could take a hit which i do not look forward to.

reality: thank god i didn't touch bitcoin that can stay far far away from me. but yep investing has never been so hard core this year i am walking out of this cycle with a 401k (that has a company match), a new CD, a credit card, and a quarterly bonus type of job. i corporate girlied hard. and on top of that i have done over 100 paid readings this year. i think learning about money is very important in today's world with inflation, social politics, etc the way it is. i will continue to learn about it but i am going to stop pressuring myself as much to make a set amount here especially. also i am going to be VERY careful what influencers (idk any 23 year olds making 6 figures in real life but social media appears to be full of them) i watch because some of them are extremists and not at all realistic... some of the content is good be some of it can be very delulu - my boss told me that a person from my generation came in fresh from college asking for more than even she makes... we have to be for real while also playing the game. i have had a 51.16% increase in income in comparison to where i was at when wrote my predictions last year at this time. so trust me when i say slow and steady wins the race when the job market is the way it is.

3H IN SAGITTARIUS AT 10° (contains: sagittarius ambrosia (193), asclepius (4581), cupido (763), jormungandr (471926) rx, lev tolstoj (2810), and zeus (5731) AND capricorn aphrodite (1388) and chekhov (2369))

prediction: sagittarius and 10° for the 3h is giving "it's all fun and games until someone says/mentions ____". i have to be mindful of my mouth because while i am likely to make people feel alive with my words given ambrosia and asclepius in this house, i also have chekhov (where you want simplicity but receive drama), aphrodite, and jormungandr (where people try to end you - aka getting socially outcasted/cancelled) in the 3h... but lev tolstoj is here too so whatever i am saying that offends others or makes them mad is facts even though there is drama/gossip involved when i do say these things... the dangers of social media part 2? i feel like it may be romantic drama because zeus (i am not a zeus person because there are no aspects to the sun or asc - only a square is made from this asteroid to my venus), cupido, and aphrodite (and for aphrodite there are no aspects made to my inner planets this solar return - so it is definitely not me doing something sus like cheating) are here in the house too. i do have my suspicions as to what is happening already... and oh shiiii will it hurt because 10° is always a bit painful in my opinion. especially with the house ruler in the 8h... it just looks like emotional damage...

reality: when i tell you things that i have said were often misinterpreted or took negatively - i am not joking. i was messing with my boss and i was saying how no one has been using the form and i joked that we should make a new motto "no form, no fulfillment" and she snapped at me "thats a shitty way to do business". i didnt think i said it in a serious manner or anything but its been little things like that all year. me and my big mouth need to learn the power of silence again. and yes there was some romantic drama like the boy from last year calling me out of the blue to tell me he is planning to break up with his girlfriend... like okay? why are you calling me now after basically a year of not communicating with me? also don't bother me when you are with someone, boy. that's what he is too - a boy - because no man would play this type of game. like grow tf up. but alas of course it hurt my feelings because it sort of was flirty and it seemed like he was vetting me out for a potential hookup... it hurt me to hear how little he values me and how little he valued what he started with me to think that a hook up was all that i would be worth and desire.

4H IN CAPRICORN AT 14° (contains: capricorn pluto, balder (4059), and bellerophon (1808)

prediction: a lot of my astro friends who see this chart are like "oh are you moving?" and i am like ABSOLUTELY NOT. like i literally just moved so no. unfortunately (i hate to be this person) i do believe a beloved family member (4h balder conjunct pluto and square moon) will be passing this year. even more unfortunate - i do not think it will be an easy death with bellerophon present because he was thrown from pegasus... and not to be super disgusting, but i do believe i will inherit something expensive and very material given the earthy grand trine formed by pluto, venus, and uranus. that being said i feel like i might neglect my mental health because pluto squares my moon - i might stopping going to therapy (currently i see a therapist regarding my childhood ptsd). i might regress into people pleasing behaviors because it is all that i will be able to control if someone in my family passes... which is not the healthiest for me.

reality: i didn't move! yay thank god cause who has the energy! but the family dog did die this february... i picked her out and everything. so it was sad but she was 15 - she lived a very good life. my grandfather is still heartbroken... its very depressing. my mom had to go to the vet to put her down... but i know she was loved and now she is no longer in pain her last months she couldn't get on the couch, she struggled with having energy, wore a doggie diaper, etc. it was her time. switching gears. i have been neglecting and ignoring my mental health a lot lately just because i don't really have the energy or "time" to take care of it...

5H IN AQUARIUS AT 17° (contains: pisces saturn, amor (1221) rx, and karma (3811))

prediction: this seems like a good mix for me achieving something big with writing/blogging. especially because saturn is the traditional ruler of aquarius and capricorn (which is home - the work i do from home, a side hustle). my outlook for romance is not too good with amor in retrograde in this house nor with freedom loving aquarius ruling this house. not to mention i feel like the world will be showing me something that will cause me to have a grudge against love (saturn) and karma will be dished out. this could also be a sign that my childhood trauma could be triggered again with saturn in the 5h too (great).

reality: my goal was to reach 3k and at this point in time we are almost at 5k here. so goal reached! also unexpected but related i have a project i have been working on for over a year and it complete! which definitely is a 5h pisces saturn moment. but yes i was single the whole damn year. i think the grudge i have about love has a lot to do with my situation reappearing after a year of no conversation despite him saying we are just friends only to tell me he is going to break up with his girlfriend... but he really loves her. if you love her why are you talking to me and why are you calling me basically plotting the break up - it was icky to me... and honestly turned my stomach about love.

project: sunset cross stitch.

6H IN PISCES AT 17° (contains: pisces neptune rx, AND aries heracles (5143) rx and salacia (120347) rx)

prediction: i appreciate the that neptune is retrograde in this pisces house... last thing i wanted was for my health, routine, or hygiene to be confusing/frustrating, avoided, or to constantly be behind / running late / neglected. so this is fine by me. i might be obsessive with scheduling, health, and hygiene because jupiter (this house's other ruler) is in the 8h. it seems like the job hunt is at a standstill with heracles in retrograde - instead, i might get one great option that i take and stick to with given salacia in retrograde.

reality: i actually revamped my google calendar at the beginning of my 23rd year. i am now taking vitamins out of a pill box of all things like an old woman. and i am focusing on my hair health! i sleep with a bonnet on because i am a hard sleeper and its changing the fact that use to have tension breakage. i also am getting into hair oiling! and i did find a job in marketing after not having a lot of luck. so it only takes one person to say yes is very real.

7H IN ARIES AT 12° (contains: aries nn, chiron rx, part of fortune, pandora (55) rx, and signe (459) rx AND taurus moon and vertex)

prediction: it's a toss up as to what all this could mean. i could find myself in a very emotionally charged connection (this is the eclipse moon after all) - with chiron rx it could be the healing of past wounds. the combination of vertex, part of fortune, and north node dictates that any relationship/partnership i find myself in could be extremely significant. with pandora here i feel like it might be unexpected where this relationship will come from. WITH SIGNE HERE i feel like some people may look down on who this person is...

reality: i can officially say i am over my situationship i couldn't say that a year ago - i was too shocked that he cut me off cold turkey and started dating someone knew after telling me many time he didn't want to date anyone. but unexpectedly i did mean some really cool friends who i really get along with so that was very good this year.

8H IN TAURUS AT 9° (contains: taurus jupiter rx and uranus rx)

prediction: oof not my 8h ruler in the 12h - what's that screaming i hear lol? maybe i will be afraid of change - i mean that because of the 12h venus and jupiter retrograde... the combination doesn't really express embracing change and the unknown, you know? the uranus retrograde makes me think i will be moving away from shared finances and working on managing my own money. i definitely believe it is for the best that i keep my opportunities to myself... i don't get the sense people will be supportive of my wins - i more so sense the envy of others from this house. i don't think i will be shocked by my successes, but i feel like others will not see it coming...

reality: i really wrote that and this year can to understand its true - i fear change and i live small because of it and i 100% make my own obstacles. i am really working on ripping my own path with money. and i am learning to share a whole lot less with people because they don't always wish you well... i'm shocked i changed jobs twice. i'm even more shocked that i am changing my mind about my next move educationally and even more shocked to see i am exploring things i would have thought best to leaving in the past.

9H IN GEMINI AT 10° (contains: gemini midas (1981) AND cancer arachne (407) and odysseus (1143))

prediction: mmmm the contemplation to go back to school is real this coming year. it's weird because it might not be for my MFA? like the 9h midas sextile chiron is giving paralegal? nursing? idk but it's not feeling literary oriented... especially with cancer arachne present, i feel like that is nursing/medical-esque... alternatively, midas can be extreme change then add in odysseus, the traveler - i could be going on a trip that changes my life entirely.

reality: i did do a lot of contemplation and it really surprised me to think i should get a certification of some sort - marketing, editing, paralegal, etc. and no i didn't travel at all this year to somewhere long distance. but i did go on some road trips that are opening me up to the world around me.

10H IN CANCER AT 14° (contains: cancer ajax (1404), hannibal (2152), and loke (4862) AND leo agamemnon (911) and arthur (2597))

prediction: it's a REAL toss up how this house will manifest. i feel like sometimes people will love me and find my presence comforting and other times they will hate me and be annoyed by me. this is thanks to the moon ruler in the 7h... and ajax (who squares my chiron)... and agamemnon (who squares my moon)... i say ajax because i think of my 3h this year - i am falling on my own sword in that regard for sure because not everyone will like what i have to say especially when it is likely to be true (3h sag is starting to remind me of a verbal burn). while people are likely to look up to me (10h arthur AND hannibal) or be forced to - because of my status, they are likely to despise me for what i say/said (7h moon AND mercury and jupiter (3h ruler) square arthur). meanwhile, it might not even be me who is the problem i just look like the bad guy for making it more apparent like loki (10h loke).

reality: i am still someone who is tricky to get along with... i annoy my coworkers because i really do think too much at times... and i'm stubborn and cautious... when i was working at the hotel we got snowed in one night and everyone was like happy to be staying over but i was like i don't want to be here i wanna go tf home... but other times when people are being annoying and i am like "you're giving me a headache" my coworkers are like she said what she said and we were all thinking it...

11H IN LEO AT 17° (contains: leo charybdis (388), helena (101), and hestia (46) AND virgo beowulf (38086), juno (3), lacrimosa (208), and silentium (2710))

prediction: i feel like my popularity is going to be a thing / where i am on the social status food chain (high up). but i don't believe i can trust anyone this year... i feel like i am likely to reach big social media milestones with beowulf in this house (and this house being in leo at 17°) - social media might even take over my life a little bit (11h charybis). i do feel like friendships will be very love hate with juno and hestia here - i am likely to be a moderator of sorts but with helena here i feel like someone is going to accuse me of being disloyal because of how i am likely to moderate without bias. i might find myself truly alone again this year because of it (11h lacrimosa and silentium).

reality: i made quite a few new friends this year a lot of people came to enjoy my presence but there was one snake in the garden for sure. i am glad i didn't trust her she was complaining to my boss about me trying to get me fired... i also ran into an ex-friend which caused me a lot of stress and anxiety... but i just hard core avoided her and played cool. it was at my best friend's engagement party (juno here?). but on another note, i do feel more on the outside of friendships than ever before this year.

12H IN VIRGO AT 17° (contains: virgo venus)

prediction: greatttt i thought we were passed this but i guess not.... looks like i still need to work on my self esteem... intuitively, i don't sense social media is going to be kind to me, and i really hope that doesn't mean here. like i am okay if it is instagram (that app is dying anyway) but like here and tiktok are my favorite apps to be in. when bullying is involved though and it is consistent, there is a limitation to that favoritism in which it becomes apprehension to stay for something like a social media in comparison to showing up for myself. there could also be delusions in romance with this set up - i could experience over thinking in a romantic connections with that 12h virgo venus too. karmic relationships are highly probable with this placement too. OR it could be an ex becoming an enemy too (unknown enemies my a$$)...

reality: i didn't face bullying online i found out my bully was in my mind though... i was really not the kindest to myself this past year. i prioritized work and money over my mental, emotional, social, and physical health... and then i had the audacity to get mad i gained 8-10lbs. like no shit girl you have an office job now. so fitness is not just regularly mixed in to my schedule. or not having a boyfriend, seeing friends or family - no shit you spend all your weekends majorly on the couch at home working on your blog or paid readings... maybe i type slow but it takes a lot of time. time i am choosing to spend on making money instead of myself.

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© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[crimsonrubinus]

How to tell if a commissioner scamming you (with photos from one of my scammer commissioners as an example)

Looking at the conversation I had with a scammer below, you can clearly extract . hints how you know this person is a scammer.

Number 1: They are willing to pay more than the actual price.

This is red flag number 1# in every situation. Normal people would go for the lowest price ALWAYS. And who the heck in their right mind would turn down a 10$ COMMISSION? Do they realize how EXPENSIVE commissions are?? The artwork being a gift doesn't make it any less realistic that they'd want to pay extra. And the fact that I took many days to respond yet they still want to give me 50$ makes it even more unrealistic. And the fact that they said it was a BIRTHDAY present AND I'm taking my sweet time to reply (out of anxiety)... Like, are you not worried I'll be late to make the artwork?

Number 2: They ask for unnecessary information.

As you can see in the pictures of the conversation below, you can clearly see that the commissioner asked for my e-mail. This is unrequired. What this person actually intended to do with my e-mail was to send a phishing e-mail to me (which the commissioner kindly explains to us in one of the photos).

Number 3 (if you do get a phishing e-mail): The address ends with a personal mail service (gmail, hotmail, outlook, yahoo, proton, ect.)

Not only did the phishing address I got have a mysterious "91.co" at the end of the e-mail, but the end of the phishing e-mail was a personal and public mail service... GMAIL. A tip to NEVER click these e-mails as some may contain viruses or at least a link that contains a virus.

Number 4: If the person insists that the e-mail is in fact not a phishing e-mail despite how obvious it is.

I reassured this commissioner that this was a phishing e-mail and that I did not have to make a refund or whatever gibberish that e-mail has told me to do, and I even explained to them WHY it was a scam. But for whatever reason, they still said I needed to make a refund. But then they proceeded to say that their money was still pending, which means they did not send it and could still cancel it. So why did I have to make a refund with the money I didn't receive?

Number 5: They only have one strict payment method.

What I mean is that they ONLY pay with PayPal, or they ONLY use Cashapp, or they ONLY use Venmo... Or the most suspicious of all... BITCOIN. This doesn't fully apply to this conversation, as they were somewhat open to use Cashapp when I suggested it (I think?), but it applies to most scammers who pretend to be commissioners, so I just thought I'd put it here.

That was when I blocked them and proceeded to make this post.

Unfortunately, so others don't get scammed by this same person, I'll put their profile here. This is the scammer. If they ask for a commission, don't accept it from them. Of course you shouldn't harass them, you don't know their situation (they could be trying to raise as much money as possible to save their dying mother from cancer or something... hypothetically), but please don't accept commissions from them either. Just block them for your own sake.

Also wouldn't it be fun if I just had a whole trail of comments giving more tips on how to find a scammer commissioner?

[vintage-tech]

Oh look, a crypto scam that doesn't even contain crypto: You get this "invoice" saying you bought some Bitcoin, with a Vermont phone number to call to "cancel" it.

First clue is that the email it's to is a mailing list, not me. Second is the From line is a legitimate company which does not do crypto, they're a workforce management group based in Delaware. Third is the Reply-To going to a disposable email address. Fourth is that the "see invoice" button and "already paid?" links go to tradehq.com.au -- an Australian forwarder to the real TradeHQ page, which did I mention does not do crypto? Scam harder!!

Bonus, the awesome mangled English: "If you did not made this order would want to cancel your transaction..."

[meow-moment]

One of my favorite pieces of site history that doesn't really get passed around (maybe because it's too recent) is that there used to be an official bitcoin tumblr account that regularly got like 4 notes on all of their posts, until one of their posts broke containment and within a week they got harassed into deleting their account.

[kanguin]

Hi, idk who's going to see this post or whatnot, but I had a lot of thoughts on a post I reblogged about AI that started to veer off the specific topic of the post, so I wanted to make my own.

Some background on me: I studied Psychology and Computer Science in college several years ago, with an interdisciplinary minor called Cognitive Science that joined the two with philosophy, linguistics, and multiple other fields. The core concept was to study human thinking and learning and its similarities to computer logic, and thus the courses I took touched frequently on learning algorithms, or "AI". This was of course before it became the successor to bitcoin as the next energy hungry grift, to be clear. Since then I've kept up on the topic, and coincidentally, my partner has gone into freelance data model training and correction. So while I'm not an expert, I have a LOT of thoughts on the current issue of AI.

I'll start off by saying that AI isn't a brand new technology, it, more properly known as learning algorithms, has been around in the linguistics, stats, biotech, and computer science worlds for over a decade or two. However, pre-ChatGPT learning algorithms were ground-up designed tools specialized for individual purposes, trained on a very specific data set, to make it as accurate to one thing as possible. Some time ago, data scientists found out that if you have a large enough data set on one specific kind of information, you can get a learning algorithm to become REALLY good at that one thing by giving it lots of feedback on right vs wrong answers. Right and wrong answers are nearly binary, which is exactly how computers are coded, so by implementing the psychological method of operant conditioning, reward and punishment, you can teach a program how to identify and replicate things with incredible accuracy. That's what makes it a good tool.

And a good tool it was and still is. Reverse image search? Learning algorithm based. Complex relationship analysis between words used in the study of language? Often uses learning algorithms to model relationships. Simulations of extinct animal movements and behaviors? Learning algorithms trained on anatomy and physics. So many features of modern technology and science either implement learning algorithms directly into the function or utilize information obtained with the help of complex computer algorithms.

But a tool in the hand of a craftsman can be a weapon in the hand of a murderer. Facial recognition software, drone targeting systems, multiple features of advanced surveillance tech in the world are learning algorithm trained. And even outside of authoritarian violence, learning algorithms in the hands of get-rich-quick minded Silicon Valley tech bro business majors can be used extremely unethically. All AI art programs that exist right now are trained from illegally sourced art scraped from the web, and ChatGPT (and similar derived models) is trained on millions of unconsenting authors' works, be they professional, academic, or personal writing. To people in countries targeted by the US War Machine and artists the world over, these unethical uses of this technology are a major threat.

Further, it's well known now that AI art and especially ChatGPT are MAJOR power-hogs. This, however, is not inherent to learning algorithms / AI, but is rather a product of the size, runtime, and inefficiency of these models. While I don't know much about the efficiency issues of AI "art" programs, as I haven't used any since the days of "imaginary horses" trended and the software was contained to a university server room with a limited training set, I do know that ChatGPT is internally bloated to all hell. Remember what I said about specialization earlier? ChatGPT throws that out the window. Because they want to market ChatGPT as being able to do anything, the people running the model just cram it with as much as they can get their hands on, and yes, much of that is just scraped from the web without the knowledge or consent of those who have published it. So rather than being really good at one thing, the owners of ChatGPT want it to be infinitely good, infinitely knowledgeable, and infinitely running. So the algorithm is never shut off, it's constantly taking inputs and processing outputs with a neural network of unnecessary size.

Now this part is probably going to be controversial, but I genuinely do not care if you use ChatGPT, in specific use cases. I'll get to why in a moment, but first let me clarify what use cases. It is never ethical to use ChatGPT to write papers or published fiction (be it for profit or not); this is why I also fullstop oppose the use of publicly available gen AI in making "art". I say publicly available because, going back to my statement on specific models made for single project use, lighting, shading, and special effects in many 3D animated productions use specially trained learning algorithms to achieve the complex results seen in the finished production. Famously, the Spider-verse films use a specially trained in-house AI to replicate the exact look of comic book shading, using ethically sources examples to build a training set from the ground up, the unfortunately-now-old-fashioned way. The issue with gen AI in written and visual art is that the publicly available, always online algorithms are unethically designed and unethically run, because the decision makers behind them are not restricted enough by laws in place.

So that actually leads into why I don't give a shit if you use ChatGPT if you're not using it as a plagiarism machine. Fact of the matter is, there is no way ChatGPT is going to crumble until legislation comes into effect that illegalizes and cracks down on its practices. The public, free userbase worldwide is such a drop in the bucket of its serverload compared to the real way ChatGPT stays afloat: licensing its models to businesses with monthly subscriptions. I mean this sincerely, based on what little I can find about ChatGPT's corporate subscription model, THAT is the actual lifeline keeping it running the way it is. Individual visitor traffic worldwide could suddenly stop overnight and wouldn't affect ChatGPT's bottom line. So I don't care if you, I, or anyone else uses the website because until the US or EU governments act to explicitly ban ChatGPT and other gen AI business' shady practices, they are all only going to continue to stick around profit from big business contracts. So long as you do not give them money or sing their praises, you aren't doing any actual harm.

If you do insist on using ChatGPT after everything I've said, here's some advice I've gathered from testing the algorithm to avoid misinformation:

If you feel you must use it as a sounding board for figuring out personal mental or physical health problems like I've seen some people doing when they can't afford actual help, do not approach it conversationally in the first person. Speak in the third person as if you are talking about someone else entirely, and exclusively note factual information on observations, symptoms, and diagnoses. This is because where ChatGPT draws its information from depends on the style of writing provided. If you try to be as dry and clinical as possible, and request links to studies, you should get dry and clinical information in return. This approach also serves to divorce yourself mentally from the information discussed, making it less likely you'll latch onto anything. Speaking casually will likely target unprofessional sources.

Do not ask for citations, ask for links to relevant articles. ChatGPT is capable of generating links to actual websites in its database, but if asked to provide citations, it will replicate the structure of academic citations, and will very likely hallucinate at least one piece of information. It also does not help that these citations also will often be for papers not publicly available and will not include links.

ChatGPT is at its core a language association and logical analysis software, so naturally its best purposes are for analyzing written works for tone, summarizing information, and providing examples of programming. It's partially coded in python, so examples of Python and Java code I've tested come out 100% accurate. Complex Google Sheets formulas however are often finicky, as it often struggles with proper nesting orders of formulas.

Expanding off of that, if you think of the software as an input-output machine, you will get best results. Problems that do not have clear input information or clear solutions, such as open ended questions, will often net inconsistent and errant results.

Commands are better than questions when it comes to asking it to do something. If you think of it like programming, then it will respond like programming most of the time.

Most of all, do not engage it as a person. It's not a person, it's just an algorithm that is trained to mimic speech and is coded to respond in courteous, subservient responses. The less you try and get social interaction out of ChatGPT, the less likely it will be to just make shit up because it sounds right.

Anyway, TL;DR:

AI is just a tool and nothing more at its core. It is not synonymous with its worse uses, and is not going to disappear. Its worst offenders will not fold or change until legislation cracks down on it, and we, the majority users of the internet, are not its primary consumer. Use of AI to substitute art (written and visual) with blended up art of others is abhorrent, but use of a freely available algorithm for personal analyticsl use is relatively harmless so long as you aren't paying them.

We need to urge legislators the world over to crack down on the methods these companies are using to obtain their training data, but at the same time people need to understand that this technology IS useful and both can and has been used for good. I urge people to understand that learning algorithms are not one and the same with theft just because the biggest ones available to the public have widely used theft to cut corners. So long as computers continue to exist, algorithmic problem-solving and generative algorithms are going to continue to exist as they are the logical conclusion of increasingly complex computer systems. Let's just make sure the future of the technology is not defined by the way things are now.