stifflered

The Fifth Voyage

by stifflered September 10, 2023 Leave a Comment

I’ve been reading 1001 Nights, aka The Arabian Nights, and felt inspired to add my own story to the mix. For fun and to learn more how AI LLMs work, I used chatgpt to help me turn a familiar tale into something more sinister….

by stifflered September 10, 2023 Leave a Comment

The Call of Adventure In the sprawling city of Baghdad, where narrow alleys intertwined and bustling markets sang with life, the Tigris River flowed majestically, carrying with it whispers of ancient secrets and bygone eras. The riverbanks bore witness to countless tales of love, loss, and adventure, as merchants, travelers, and dreamers from distant lands converged, weaving a tapestry of stories and memories. Here, amidst the golden sands and azure waters, a young mariner named Jamal found himself. With sun-kissed skin that bore the weathered lines of countless days at sea, eyes filled with dreams that glistened like the ocean’s surface, and a heart yearning for the vastness of the sea, he often stood by the docks, watching ships come and go, each carrying its own tale. The allure of the horizon, the promise of uncharted waters, beckoned him with an irresistible pull, a siren’s call that he could not ignore. Jamal’s life had been shaped by the rhythms of…

Life, Writing

The AI-Driven Pivot: How Technology is Pushing Writers Toward Authentic Human Stories

by stifflered August 28, 2023 Leave a Comment

Exploring the rise of AI in creative writing, this blog post highlights the irreplaceable value of genuine human experiences in storytelling. As AI produces volumes of content, artists are pivoting to real-life narratives, showcasing the authenticity and raw emotion only a human can convey. The future of professional writing lies in telling these true human stories, making them the standout choice in a digitally saturated age.

by stifflered August 28, 2023 Leave a Comment

In the ever-evolving landscape of art and technology, the relationship between AI and human creators has been, to say the least, complicated. A recent advent in this dance of creativity and computation is the use of AI to produce fiction. As machines delve into the realm of crafting stories and creating art, some fear the eventual eclipse of human talent. Yet, in this transformative era, there emerges a powerful reminder of what makes human narratives unique: our lived experiences. The AI Landscape in Fiction Firstly, it’s crucial to acknowledge the genuine feats AI has achieved in the domain of creative writing. Algorithms have been designed to understand, mimic, and generate narratives, poems, and even entire novels. They are capable of churning out immense volumes of content, exploring various themes, styles, and genres. But while these systems can produce work that mimics human creativity, it remains just that – a mimicry. The Inimitable Core of Human Experience Art, in all its…

Minecraft

Using ChatGPT-4 to Compare the Old and New Minecraft EULAs

by stifflered August 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

This blog post is not meant to be an authoritative look at the new Minecraft Usage Guidelines, commonly referred to by the Minecraft community as the “EULA”.

by stifflered August 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

This blog post is not meant to be an authoritative look at the new Minecraft Usage Guidelines, commonly referred to by the Minecraft community as the “EULA”. There has been a LOT of misinformation and FUD spreading from people comparing the old Minecraft EULA with the new Minecraft Usage Guidelines, and I was curious about what ChatGPT-4 would find. TLDR (written by ChatGPT-4): While the structure and main sections of both documents are similar, the newer guidelines are more concise and straightforward. The older guidelines provide more detailed explanations and examples. The emphasis in the new guidelines is on clarity and ensuring that the community understands the boundaries for using Minecraft’s name, brand, and assets. To be clear, the new Minecraft Usage Guidelines change very little aside from adding a few minor sections (that impact a comparatively small group of people, like NFT creators) and improving the clarity of the rest. There are some loud claims that “the new EULA”…

Life

Is the Dunning-Kruger effect real or nah?

by stifflered December 9, 2022 Leave a Comment

Whether or not our level of confidence in areas of expertise can be mathematically explained, it’s worth keeping in mind.

by stifflered December 9, 2022 Leave a Comment

The Dunning-Kruger effect has taken hold of the collective Internet hive-mind over the last 20 years. In just about every Discord group I’m active in, subreddit I’ve actively followed, or social network I’ve engaged with, someone at some point has brought up how inexperienced amateurs confidently believe they are more intelligent on a topic than life-long experts in the field. If you aren’t familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect, allow me to quickly explain with all the conviction of someone who barely understands the math behind the concept. Like a person who has never watched Citizen Kane declaring that the 1941 film is a cinematic masterpiece, I will now tell you how the Dunning-Kruger effect explains the entirety of human social interactions…. Heh. Just kidding. I wouldn’t dare do that. All I know about Dunning-Kruger is summed up in the chart below. I stole this image from Addy Bhardwaj – go check out their article on the topic. The Dunning-Kruger effect…

Short Story, Writing

The evils of Lucy was all around me

by stifflered November 30, 2022 Leave a Comment

“Temptation is just the feeling that you’re the most independent person on planet Earth.” – Kendrick Lamar

by stifflered November 30, 2022 Leave a Comment

I found myself screaming in the hotel room the day the explosions went off. There were three explosions, and none of them were anywhere near me. They were near others. Human beings were lying dead in the street saying goodbye to loved ones who shrugged over them, and I was still the only one screaming. Or maybe I wasn’t the only one screaming. It’s not like it mattered either way. When Lucy took control of people’s emotional center, the only way to resist was through closing up our ears to the noise. If Lucy’s song couldn’t pierce through my 1st Gen R1G5 Headphones, then someone screaming next to me certainly wouldn’t. Shoot, I could barely hear myself. Barely. That would all change when I could finally get my hands on the 2nd Gen. Alan scribbled hurriedly on a piece of paper the first time he saw someone wearing a 2nd Gen set. It was down on Market Street, which we…

Life

A Great Contradiction

by stifflered November 28, 2022 Leave a Comment

“To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”

by stifflered November 28, 2022 Leave a Comment

This blog post is existential and talks about death. When I was a teenager, I wrapped the words of Eowyn, and therefore the words of Tolkien, around myself like a blanket. “What do you fear, lady?” [Aragorn] asked.”A cage,” [Éowyn] said. “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King This I still fear. I write in my journal regularly, and the topic almost always comes back to “impact”. Can I have an impact on the world? What kind of impact will I have on the world? How should I go about having a greater impact on the world? There’s only one answer to these questions I can ever give, “I don’t know, but I’ll sure as hell try.” Tonight I’m not so sure of some things. There are still questions that I ask, but tonight they…

Life, Poetry, Writing

Can’t live without it

by stifflered November 21, 2022 Leave a Comment

Sometimes we walk away from the things we were passionate about doing as kids, but that passion never leaves.

by stifflered November 21, 2022 Leave a Comment

Deep inside you can feel the weight of the pit.You’re hacking up your lungs while terrified. You’re trying to spit,but you cannot forget.And you want to but you cannot repentor turn away from all the thoughts and trials you represent. What we believe about ourselves right now is going to serveto read the past aloud but sanctified if you’ve got the nerve.So every wordyou’ve ever uttered, even absurd,goes from your mouth to the people’s. A delightful hors d’oeuvre. Might not be much but the people gather, ready for feasting.They’ll devour your life from childhood while always increasing.They’ll never be ceasing,and even worse, they’ll never be piecingall the clues that point to your built up habits of self-policing. When you were a kid you had some issues, no one denies,but what they ignore is all the good behind all the lies.Good burger with fries.You grew up hoping to impact the livesof those you love, and maybe those you will. But you’re…

Life

The end of the line

by stifflered November 20, 2022 Leave a Comment

Twitter might not be shutting down any time soon, but it will never be the same again.

by stifflered November 20, 2022 Leave a Comment

There’s very little that can be said about the last few weeks on social media that hasn’t already been said in countless angry tweets. Twitter was bought by Elon Musk, the work force was shuttered, policies have been changed, services launched, changed, removed, relaunched, and removed again, and now Trump is reinstated thanks to an easily botted poll. Why give my views, and therefore more ad revenue, to a platform that is determined to be the new Gab? Why contribute any amount of my energy to a place that flies fundamentally against what I stand for? This isn’t even about “conservative” vs “liberal” values. There is a major difference between a place where the public masses can be balanced so that no “side” gets a direct benefit, where the left, right, or in-betweeners can co-exist and argue and flame and block each other, and a place where there is a culture of sarcasm, untruths, and misinformation boldly promoted to benefit…

Writing

Finding the words

by stifflered November 13, 2022 Leave a Comment

Human beings have a special knack for misunderstanding each other. Is there any hope for fixing that?

by stifflered November 13, 2022 Leave a Comment

Sometimes it can be a real challenge to know what to say. We know what we mean to share, but we don’t know how to say it in a way that makes us understood in precisely the manner we want to be. Why? Is the problem intelligence? Bad habits created by our abuse of social media trends and SMS? Lack of understanding the perspective of our audience? One of the things that’s always frustrated me about social media is that it’s so easy to be misunderstood and to misunderstand others. Is there a way to avoid that problem? “None of us read the same book.” That’s something a teacher told me years ago, and it makes me think there is no avoiding the problem of misunderstandings. If you speak too succinctly, you might lose some of the nuance of your point, but if you speak at too much length, you might leave a lot of room for onlookers to add…

Life

This blog is aimless (and I don’t care)

by stifflered November 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

Why does it seem like we can’t create anything of value if we aren’t doing it for some return on investment?

by stifflered November 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

I’ve been doing a bit of reading into the trends of blogging in 2022, and it may come as no surprise that most blogging experts say that aimless writing servers no purpose. The author gains nothing, the audience gains nothing. There’s no money to be made, no audience to grow, and no lessons to be learned. Whatever. I don’t care. Why does everything in 2022 have to have some ultimate goal? Why does every bit of effort that someone puts forth have to result in a return of financial or social success? Why can’t I just write a blog post, or make a song, or play a video game just because it brings me joy? No. In 2022, people are pushing for video games to add NFTs so people can make money from what used to be entertainment. Every person who creates something needs to have a Patreon so that they can reap the benefits of the work they put…