The unimportant news thread

[Todd]

From NPR: Guantánamo Bay has been open for 22 years despite calls for its closure

Happy birthday, Gitmo.  You've come a long way, baby!

[Todd]

From People (!): U.S. Air Force Officer Madison Marsh Crowned as 2024 Miss America: 'The Sky Is Not the Limit'

Not even Paul Verhoeven would have put this type of thing in one of his movies.

[Todd]

Some Oregon stupid: Struggling with oversaturation, Oregon's cannabis industry calls for new restrictions

The Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon is literally asking the state of Oregon to establish a drug cartel. 

(Of course, long term, when the feds lift the restrictions on the Devil's Lettuce, the industry will go corporate and the tobacco companies will take over, but that's a ways off.)

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Some Oregon stupid: Struggling with oversaturation, Oregon's cannabis industry calls for new restrictions

The Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon is literally asking the state of Oregon to establish a drug cartel. 

(Of course, long term, when the feds lift the restrictions on the Devil's Lettuce, the industry will go corporate and the tobacco companies will take over, but that's a ways off.)

I can't believe how many there are in my town!  It's gotten ridiculous!

PD

[Todd]

Alec Baldwin indicted on involuntary manslaughter charge in 'Rust' shooting

This marks a watershed in American history.  This is the first time both a former President and his most famous impersonator have been indicted multiple times. 

[Spotted Horses]

Alec Baldwin indicted on involuntary manslaughter charge in 'Rust' shooting

This marks a watershed in American history.  This is the first time both a former President and his most famous impersonator have been indicted multiple times. 

I think the true watershed is that the former President bragged he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with and his impersonator actually shot someone to death on a movie set and expects to get away with it.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The winner of a prestigious Japanese literary award has confirmed ChatGPT helped write her book.


https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/19/style/rie-kudan-akutagawa-prize-chatgpt/index.html

[Todd]

Japan becomes the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon

That's one small step for Japan, one giant leap for Japan's ICBM program.

[DavidW]

The winner of a prestigious Japanese literary award has confirmed ChatGPT helped write her book.


https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/19/style/rie-kudan-akutagawa-prize-chatgpt/index.html

Helping being the key word.  I think it is a useful tool and not a replacement for human expression.  This feels like the protests against calculators.  Kids won't learn math if they have a calculator! There has been a lot of FUD around AI and hyperbole mostly fueled by the media.

[Todd]

There has been a lot of FUD around AI and hyperbole mostly fueled by the media.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Helping being the key word.  I think it is a useful tool and not a replacement for human expression.  This feels like the protests against calculators.  Kids won't learn math if they have a calculator! There has been a lot of FUD around AI and hyperbole mostly fueled by the media.

While the title of the article is unclear/misleading, 5 percent of the text was generated by the AI.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Two Madonna fans are suing the US singer for being late by more than two hours for a show.


https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68027965

[Todd]

The WSJ covers the stories that need to be covered: They Thought Their Money Was in High-Interest Accounts—They Got Paid Peanuts

This is an outrage!  The perfidious bankers responsible for such horrific abuse of clients must serve time.  No other outcome will suffice.

[DavidW]

The WSJ covers the stories that need to be covered: They Thought Their Money Was in High-Interest Accounts—They Got Paid Peanuts

This is an outrage!  The perfidious bankers responsible for such horrific abuse of clients must serve time.  No other outcome will suffice.

I'm pretty sure the interest rates have to be disclosed on the monthly statements.  So they just deleted the emails, threw the statements in the trash unopened and yet years go by.  I mean Capital One are a bunch of shady crooks, playing games with names, but I doubt that there is a real case here if the resolution was literally check the statements sent to you on a monthly basis.

[Todd]

I'm pretty sure the interest rates have to be disclosed on the monthly statements.

I suppose one could log in, check the interest credit, and use a calculator to determine the rate.  But that is hard work.  Even harder than moving money to another bank.  Do you know how long that takes in the 2020s?  Literally minutes.  Justice must be served.

[Todd]

A new word enters the political lexicon: Dexit!

AfD demands radical EU reforms to avoid 'Dexit'

I don't follow German politics, but per NPR, AfD has decent poll numbers: Germany's far-right party now polls higher than the three parties in government.  (I do like the use of "far-right"; very nice.)  Apparently Sahra Wagenknecht has formed her own party, the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, which The Graun labels the "conservative left".  (I didn't and couldn't make it up.)  It looks kind of weird to see someone include his or her name in a party.  This indicates to me that German politics are roiled a bit.  Anyway, I'd like to see Dexit, but that seems unlikely.   

[Todd]

An update is coming in a few days for Google's inappropriate content policy as it pertains to advertising.  Since it is available freely, I'll post the whole thing.  I like the phrase "sensitive event".  It is not ambiguous.  Fortunately, said policy applies to advertisers only and will never apply to Google's other endeavors. 

In February 2024, Google will update the Inappropriate content policy to clarify the definition of Sensitive Events.

A "Sensitive Event" is an unforeseen event or development that creates significant risk to Google's ability to provide high quality, relevant information and ground truth, and reduce insensitive or exploitative content in prominent and monetized features. During a Sensitive Event, we may take a variety of actions to address these risks.

Examples of Sensitive Events include events with significant social, cultural, or political impact, such as civil emergencies, natural disasters, public health emergencies, terrorism and related activities, conflict, or mass acts of violence

Examples of what we prohibit (non-exhaustive):

Products or services that exploit, dismiss, or condone the Sensitive Event, including price gouging or artificially inflating prices that prohibits/restricts access to vital supplies; sale of products or services which may be insufficient for the demand during a sensitive event

Using keywords related to a sensitive event to attempt to drive additional traffic

Claims that victims of a sensitive event were responsible for their own tragedy or similar instances of victim blaming; claims that victims of a sensitive event are not deserving of remedy or support; claims that victims from certain countries were responsible or deserving of a global public health crisis

(Posted January 9, 2024)

[steve ridgway]

Ukraine wins Miss Japan contest

BBC News

[Todd]

From The Graun: Judge rebukes Trudeau for 'not justified' use of Emergencies Act to break convoy

O Canada!

[Karl Henning]

I'm not exactly a champion of "easy-listening," but it's nice that this local station will not be absorbed into the media megalopoly.

Quirky and beloved, WJIB will live on in new hands after longtime owner's death
Longtime Boston-area DJ John Garabedian has purchased the low-wattage Cambridge radio station, with plans to expand and go online