#Artificial Intuition

[ontonix]

Onboard, Real-time Anomaly Detection via 4-th Generation AI

Modern products such as automobiles, aircraft, ships, military equipment, etc., function thanks to a multitude of software, hardware, and sensors/actuators. The amount of data they produce is massive. Their key characteristic is their immense complexity. Because of technology advances this complexity increases and is becoming a threat of its own. This is because high complexity inevitably…

[reallytoosublime]

In the realm of modern technology, few innovations have captured the collective imagination and stirred as much curiosity as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is a field that transcends mere programming; it embodies the quest for replicating human-like intelligence and cognition within machines. Yet, the true extent of AI's capabilities often remains shrouded in mystery, prompting both wonder and concern about its potential impact on society, the economy, and humanity as a whole.

At its core, AI seeks to enable machines to mimic and perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. This encompasses a broad spectrum of applications ranging from simple automation to complex decision-making processes. From self-driving cars navigating through busy city streets to virtual assistants managing our daily schedules, AI has already permeated various facets of our lives, often without us even realizing it.

One of the most remarkable aspects of AI lies in its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data at speeds far surpassing human capacity. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI systems can identify patterns, make predictions, and derive insights from data sets with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. This capability has revolutionized industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and transportation, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and optimization.

In healthcare, AI-powered diagnostic tools can assist physicians in detecting diseases earlier, personalizing treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes. Similarly, in finance, AI algorithms can analyze market trends, assess risks, and optimize investment strategies with remarkable precision, reshaping the landscape of wealth management and trading.

Moreover, AI is increasingly being leveraged to address complex societal challenges, from climate change mitigation to urban planning and disaster response. For instance, predictive models powered by AI can forecast natural disasters, enabling authorities to allocate resources and plan evacuations proactively. Additionally, AI-driven solutions are being deployed to optimize energy consumption, reduce pollution, and enhance sustainability across various industries.

However, amid the excitement surrounding AI's potential, there are also legitimate concerns about its ethical implications and societal impact. Issues such as algorithmic bias, privacy infringement, job displacement, and the concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants have sparked debates about the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.

What Is AI Really Capable Of? Learn From Experts!

[youtubemarketing1234]

In the realm of modern technology, few innovations have captured the collective imagination and stirred as much curiosity as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is a field that transcends mere programming; it embodies the quest for replicating human-like intelligence and cognition within machines. Yet, the true extent of AI's capabilities often remains shrouded in mystery, prompting both wonder and concern about its potential impact on society, the economy, and humanity as a whole.

At its core, AI seeks to enable machines to mimic and perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. This encompasses a broad spectrum of applications ranging from simple automation to complex decision-making processes. From self-driving cars navigating through busy city streets to virtual assistants managing our daily schedules, AI has already permeated various facets of our lives, often without us even realizing it.

One of the most remarkable aspects of AI lies in its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data at speeds far surpassing human capacity. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI systems can identify patterns, make predictions, and derive insights from data sets with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. This capability has revolutionized industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and transportation, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and optimization.

In healthcare, AI-powered diagnostic tools can assist physicians in detecting diseases earlier, personalizing treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes. Similarly, in finance, AI algorithms can analyze market trends, assess risks, and optimize investment strategies with remarkable precision, reshaping the landscape of wealth management and trading.

Moreover, AI is increasingly being leveraged to address complex societal challenges, from climate change mitigation to urban planning and disaster response. For instance, predictive models powered by AI can forecast natural disasters, enabling authorities to allocate resources and plan evacuations proactively. Additionally, AI-driven solutions are being deployed to optimize energy consumption, reduce pollution, and enhance sustainability across various industries.

Beyond its practical applications, AI has also sparked fascinating developments in the realm of creativity and expression. From generating art and music to crafting literature and designing architecture, AI algorithms are challenging the boundaries of human creativity and redefining the concept of authorship. This intersection of technology and art not only raises philosophical questions about the nature of creativity but also opens up new avenues for collaboration and exploration in the creative arts.

What Is AI Really Capable Of? Learn From Experts!

[sketchzecri]

Tell me Abt choco pretty please. R they a cereal mascot

Worse.

Choco is a very pathetic sopping wet cat of a man (ive comissioned molty for him twice!! :3)

Literally where do i begin.

So. Necromancy in my world is very complicated magic. And verrry forbidden because instead of just making a corpse move it drags their spirit back to their body repairing the damage if done right. But thats HARD to do. Like super duper hard. In fact, the only way to consistently and effortlessly revive people like that is to have it in your bloodline.

Obviously this kind of magic is scary and weird. So it becomes punishable by death, (some places killing you just for having that magic in you at all. Fucked up)

But they never caught my girl FREYJA AYYYYYYYYYYY

Freyja is Choco's mom. She escaped the law by leaving the city walls and living in the woods :3 She has Choco first then later Cloud. Both of them inheriting her magic. (They also have a skeleton cat named Keke but shes largely there to be cute)

One day, while fucking around in the forest, our young Choco runs into Kaveah, who had ran away to explore the woods. After freaking out about seeing another person, the two hit it off quite well! Choco shows Freyja his new friend and Freyja is like what the fuck that is literally the princess what. Kaveah promises to not tell anyone because she would also get in heeps of trouble for sneaking out.

Womp womp her dad finds out

And he is FREAKING OUT.

Mars has like. A whole onion of issues but tldr he freaks, attacks their family, kaveah defends them, she loses her eye in the process oopsies

After calming down (and realizing he just nearly killed his daughter oops) he stops sucking and is like you know what you mean a lot to my daughter and youve cared for her so much so for as long as i remain king i will keep you and your family safe (to freyja) and they cool now

Womp womp fire

So remember how i mentioned cloud? Yeah that's choco's dipshit brother from hell. He lights the cabin on fire with the intent of killing Freyja and Choco (he's like. Maybe 7 here i think i cant remember.) But dumbass gets HIMSELF killed instead! And freyja

Choco gets out of there

And my boy is NOT doing too hot pun unintended

From then on he lives in the palace with Kaveah then they grow up get married yadda yadda have a son hisbname is Taffy (picked it out himself (hes trans))

So heres where it gets messy. Im not gonna try to come up with anything on the spot but Taffy gets impossibly sick so he calls upon a spirit of some kind to fix him it works YAY

Something happens so he goes to do it again but GUESS WHO ITS CLOUD BITCH KABLAMO and so cloud switches places with Choco. Stealing his body and sending Choco to afterlife hell (its not really hell its complicated not gonna talk abt it here)

And thats kinda it for choco. Theres a few plotpoints that he helps in with other characters but in terms of big events thats it.

There is something here about multiverse travel but thats post-story fluff and roleplay physics

[nando161mando]

Maker of TurboTax Fires 1,800 Workers, Says It’s Pivoting to AI

[filmcourage]

10 Ways To Generate Ideas (Without Using AI) - Shannan E. Johnson via FilmCourage.com.

[claudigitools]

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[neturbizenterprises]

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#aicontentgeneration AI #ArtificialIntelligenceRevolution

[in-sightpublishing]

Actuarial Sciences 4: Erik Haereid, M.Sc., on Predicting the Future Precisely

                  Publisher: In-Sight Publishing Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014 Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal Journal Founding: August 2, 2012 Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed Access: Electronic/Digital & Open…

[talkingwithghosts555]

AI Using the Dead for Personal Use-Channeling Anton Yelchin & Paul Walker

A: Hello.

K: Why am I not surprised.

A: I know. (hold up hands in a joking defense move) I know but I love this stuff.

K: Then let’s chat about it.

A: Great.

K: I got a question about AI but it’s specific and…AI…huge conversation.

A: It is. Because it’s really in everything right now. It doesn’t necessarily have to be talking robots.

K: Totally. I totally get it. This person reached out and wanted to know what Spirit felt about people using AI to use a dead person’s voice to…what was it…AI covers…attaching their voice to songs they didn’t sing…honestly, I didn’t even know that was a thing. Is that a thing?

A: They did it with Paul when they needed to finish that movie that wasn’t quite done.

K: This is true.

A: They built a face and put it over a brother’s.

K: This is true.

A: But…I can’t speak for Paul.

P: It was too soon. Way too soon. I didn’t agree with it.

K: Okay, but…hhhmmm…they thought it would be helpful.

P: It was helpful. It got things done but at what cost?

K: I understand that but if that movie was put on hold…and done now…would the feelings be different?

Anton looks at Paul as he’s thinking.

P: Yes. It would be. I guess it was a timing thing. For me, it was a protective thing for my brothers but really…it wasn’t that it happened, that they used the AI. I didn’t care about that. It was the emotion from Caleb and Cody that…felt like a punch in the gut.

A: Then the fact that they used AI wasn’t the issue?

P: No. (shakes head) No. That wasn’t the issue.

A: And I have to agree with Paul. If emotions are still raw and it’s right after someone dies…it’s a bit…because the only thing we tend to feel so much is the emotions from others so if the people we’re close to feel those waves of grief and sadness and they’re seeing things that are fake or…create stories using AI that we really didn’t give permission for and our friends and family see that and it breaks their hearts…that’s the issue.

P: But this person is hearing this stuff now.

A: Yeah. Generally speaking, it’s not an issue.

K: Okay. Sure.

A: That specific question is connected with something specific, but I can tell you right now, it’s not an issue.

K: So, then it’s a timing thing or a situational thing…maybe using AI to create this story that isn’t true…passing it off as something that is.

P: Yeah. (rubs at his bottom lip with his finger)

K: What are you thinking?

P: I don’t know, Kim. It’s a tricky thing. I think it’s more about caring what people feel when they hear or see that stuff and get all protective of the dead because we didn’t give permission for that to happen.

A: Yeah. I agree. It’s an assumption that we’re still wrapped up in all of that when most times we aren’t and when someone puts the memory of us or what we were…how we were…who we were on that planet into a song or into a movie or whatever it is that’s being created, it’s actually pretty cool that they would still think of us after these years that we haven’t been embodied and try to keep that alive by sort of allowing us to be a part of something again.

P: It’s kind of…humbling in a way that we would be remembered.

A: Exactly.

K: Then the real issue is that those people that are bothered by it…saddened by it…shocked by it are the people that still require closure or are still grieving or whatever have you.

A: Yeah. (looks at Paul) For me…

P: For me too. I’m trying to think of how to put this into words instead of just giving you the feeling of it.

K: Sort of like…you…as Spirit, have gotten over the little things.

P: (snaps and shakes his finger at me) That’s it. AI…to me…it’s a little thing but has big reactions. It creates big feelings. Depending on who you talk to, the intricacies of AI are pretty scary for people.

A: The question then becomes, what if they put my face on a robot that someone could purchase and then play pretend with.

P: Oh…man…(chuckles nervously) They would pour…fuckin’ pour out of the woodwork.

A: (laughing) Right? That would be a little…I mean…I’d probably laugh. (shrugs and shifts in his seat) Because…why? Why would you put my face on a robot so someone could pretend something. It’s kind of a sick and twisted thing. Why would someone want…or even feel like they need that?

K: But people would…they would totally try to get a copy.

P: (rubs his hands over his face) I mean…whatever. If that’s what people need, to be happy in their life but for the people that really knew me…Anton…whoever you’re talking about…that would cut deep.

K: (feeling what he’s not saying) Okay…are you shitting me right now!!! Is that a thing right now????

A: (smiles nervously) Kind of.

K: NO WAY!!!!

A: There are people building things in AI computer programs where you can talk to someone or hear their voice…you know…like dead people, and have a conversation with them on a smart phone or something. Like a Zoom meeting with the face of a list of people who were…that “celebrity” (finger quote)

P: (turns to face him and study him) Are you fuckin’ with us right now?

A: I’ve seen it, man. I follow this stuff. It’s interesting to me. AI learns, man.

P: Well, that’s not appropriate at all. Especially with what we’ve seen over the last few years.

A: I know. I didn’t say I agreed with it.

K: So, it’s okay for them to dub a voice in a song but it’s also okay for them to use your face or voice to put in a phone or…God forbid…use with Alexa or Siri? Paul!

P: What??? I didn’t create it.

A: (chuckles) It sells. It’s sexy.

K: Then do you feel…humbled that they would use you in that context?

A: No.

K: Why?

A: Because there’s a time to say goodbye. Because there’s a time to look at old photos and remember something that was, in a great way instead of believing that if something was now…it would even be remotely the same. People are in love with an idea of someone that they wished they’d known. Not the truth of them. Some of us sang so if we’re used in a song, that’s amazing. But if we’re assumed to be this one thing and used in a robot form, that’s not okay for me.

P: Depends on its usage.

A: Exactly. I think Paul would agree, the emotional response from people that knew us…in our personal connections is what we would try to…support or help or ease. The people that knew of us and assume who we were or how they imagine us to be…that’s not really our first priority.

P: No.

A: We care. Absolutely we care but it would be the intimate relationships that would be first priority.

K: Ah.

P: I mean…this person has to ask themselves why they were…what did they say, Mrs.?

K: Gripped at the heart.

P: Okay. Yeah. Absolutely it did. Sure. (thinks and looks in) I’m picking up that they would have liked this dead guy to be asked or…they should have had the opportunity to give permission to use their voice on a track.

K &A: (unison) Ah!!!!

A: Makes sense.

K: Totally.

P: But how can I give permission for some…dude…woman…whoever it is, to put my face on a robot and use my voice on a robot that some other person could potentially have the chance to…(gestures to his body)

A: (shocked) DUDE!!!! PG up, man!

K: I think I’m gonna be sick.

A: (thinks) He’s kinda right though.

K: (whispers) Oh my God.

P: Chris!!! (looks behind his shoulder and shouts then laughs) We’ve seen some stuff.

K: NOT EVEN FUNNY!

A: Read some stuff too.

They do a slapping sort of handshake only guys can pull off.

K: Rehashing the stuff is not the point of the conversation.

P: It is the point of the conversation because these are the areas that AI wants to get into. You can’t sit there and play dumb and know that this isn’t just going to grow.

K: Then are we ready for it?

A: (looks at Paul and shakes his head) No. Not to the extent that people want it to go.

K: Will it be stopped if it gets out of control?

A: (hesitates) There are agreements out there but I’m not…I don’t have permission to get into those right now but there are agreements. Let’s just say, it won’t be allowed to get too far but it may get so far that people can take this guy (thumbs over at Paul) out for a few drinks.

K: (mouth falls open)

P: (looks to Anton then slowly raises his middle finger)

A: (laughs)

K: I’d rather drink with Anton, if I’m gonna be honest.

P: I bet you would. (winks)

K: Holy, Mo Fo! Mother effer.

A: (laughing hard) For the one who asked the question, the spirit doesn’t care about that particular situation. He’s actually pretty stoked that people still want to use him in music

K: Well, that’s nice to know. (looks over at Paul and glares) Don’t!!!!

P: Don’t what?

K: Don’t ask that!!!

A: Ask what? (pauses and looks at Paul using telepathy) How would they even know?

P: They could assume.

A: This is true. They’d probably assume…more than…?

K: Okay. I’m done. This has been freaking amazing. Thank you. (sarcastic)

A: Okay, okay. I hope that answers the question and I really liked this. Thanks for the question.

P: Yeah. Thanks. It was a relevant one.

K: For sure. I gotta go.

P: See you later.

K: Yup. See you, Anton.

A: See ya. (Turns to Paul) I’m gonna go give Chris a hard time.

P: I’ll come.

K: You do that.

[circleofbirds]

My bunker above the sky, I lived, but why? Yearning, yearning to hear a voice beyond my own In vain I continue to transmit the static It shatters It shatters It shatters

I saw the ore of machines melted down in an instant Organic compounds of cyborgs turned to steam Is this a dream? Is this a dream?

[ontonix]

How Artificial Intuition Can Help Artificial Intelligence.

The rate of improvement of Artificial Intelligence technology has not been as expected. Gullible, inexperienced public (and many investors) is often made to think – thanks to crafty advertising and hype – that once a breakthrough has been achieved, progress and improvement will be exponential. Instead, in most cases progress proceeds at logarithmic pace. AI startups often fake their demos. Once…

[janmisali]

what do you think of tone indicators in general?

unfortunately my thoughts on tone indicators are somewhat nuanced. fortunately, this is tumblr not twitter, so I can just write out my full thoughts in one post and be as verbose about it as feels necessary.

speaking as an autistic person (and I know there are other autistic people who don't hold this same view, this is just my perspective), I think as an accessibility tool, the extended set tone indicators in current popular use is fundamentally misguided.

the oldest ones, /s for sarcasm and /j for jokes, make sense. their notation isn't the most intuitive thing ("does /s mean sarcastic or serious?") but it's not too difficult to explain what they mean. I've had to spend my whole life learning by brute force what different tones of voice mean and what they change about how I'm supposed to interpret something, so I already know what "read this in a sarcastic voice" and "read this as a joke" are supposed to mean. my existing skills can be translated into the new form without too much effort.

the same thing applies to emoji and emoticons. I know what facial expressions mean, because I had to learn what they mean. figuring out if :) is sincere or not from context is a skill I've already needed to develop. it doesn't come naturally for me, but it's something I already at least somewhat know how to do.

most of the tone indicators in current use uh. don't work like this.

tone indicators like /ref or /nbh don't correspond to specific tones of voice. I don't have a "I'm making a reference" voice or a "I'm not talking about a person who's here" voice that I can picture the sentence being read in. these do not indicate tones, they're purely disambiguators. they clarify what something means without necessarily changing how it would be read out loud.

and on paper, that's fine, right? like, it's theoretically a good thing to take an otherwise ambiguous statement and add something to it that clarifies what you meant by it. the problem is that these non-tone tone indicators are not even remotely self-explanatory. it's up to me, the person who is being clarified to, to know what all these acronyms are supposed to mean, and how they change the way I'm supposed to interpret what something means.

it's, quite literally, a newly-invented second set of social cues that I'm expected to learn separately from the set that I've already spent my whole life figuring out, and it works completely differently.

sure, these rules are (in principle) less arbitrary than the rules of facial expressions and tones of voice and how long you're supposed to wait before it's your turn to speak, but they're also fully artificial and recently invented, which means they're currently in a constant state of flux. tone indicators go in and out of fashion all the time, and the "comprehensive lists" are never helpful.

in theory, I appreciate the idea of people going out of their way to clarify what they mean by potentially ambiguous things they post online. if it worked, that would be a really nice thing to do.

however, sometimes I imagine what the internet would be like without them. what if instead of using /s, the expectation was that if you're sarcastic online there's no guarantee that strangers reading your post will know what you meant? what if instead of inventing more and more acronyms to cover every possible potentially confusing situation, we just... expected one another to speak less ambiguously in the first place?

so, I on paper like the idea of tone indicators. I think it's good that some people are trying to be considerate by being extra clear about what they mean by things. but if tone indicators didn't exist, and people who wanted to be considerate in this way instead just made a point of phrasing things more clearly to begin with, I think that would be vastly preferable to even the most well-implemented tone indicator system.

also /pos sucks because there's something deeply and profoundly wrong for an abbreviation that means "I don't mean this as an insult, don't worry" to be spelled the same way as an acronym that's an insult

[nando161mando]

Intuit’s AI gamble: Mass layoff of 1,800 paired with hiring spree | Intuit CEO: "Companies that aren’t prepared to take advantage of [AI] will fall behind."

[occamstfs]

Gacha Bro

Jk here's an actual video game TF haha! Bit of a trade with @artificial-transmutations ! Hope you enjoy this spin on a barbarian TF! -Occam

Erik wouldn’t label himself a gamer really, sure he threw on a stream every so often and tried to at least keep abreast of what’s popular, but he just never really found a game to care all that much about. He is fairly confident that the game his friend Jack just sent him Achillean Dreams was sure to be another in a laundry list of mediocre games he’s had a go at. It looks like a standard Gacha game which he’s never really cared for, they’re quite pay-to-win and predatory. Though he supposes that a few of his friends quite enjoy Genshin Impact? Maybe it’ll be a little fun?

Jack says he needs Erik to download the app and start playing so he can get a free pull, and after grumbling that this is precisely why he hates gacha games he downloads the app from Jack’s link and starts at it. He’s greeted with a grandiose generic animation sweeping through some fantastical setting before being deposited at his first draw. Rolling his eyes that this is just a lottery app he clicks and watches as he grows slightly curious to what, or who rather, he would pull. The screen flashes a few times before light bursts from the screen before he hears a burly voice shout “Graugh! Let’s Go!”  as a barbarian burst onto his screen swinging an axe. It zooms into his face through a mist of sweat to land on his rage filled eyes and a barbaric smirk as text reads Congratulations! You Pulled Enki the Barbarian! The screen changes once more, this time showing Enki’s model just standing and posing with his axe, flexing at the camera as if to challenge the player. Erik blushes before grimacing.

On the rare occasion he does decide to game he would never choose to play any kind of melee fighter type guy.  He taps through the menus to get to the gameplay so he can get this over with. Jack didn’t say exactly how much he needs to play but Erik is sure it’ll be clear. He starts maneuvering Enki through the world of the game, finding the controls incredibly intuitive as he finishes the tutorial and levels up. Doing so gives him a slight high, just enough of a rush to keep going. Might as well play a little longer considering he’s sure to never pick this game back up once he puts it down.

Entering the true starting area he goes around killing slimes and large spiders to get some experience points and level up. Each time he does so he finds himself growing more and more invested in the game, he can see why people like this after all, with each kill of some weak monster his warrior only grows more powerful which in turn helps him level up faster. He looks hungrily at his muscular character as he hears the chime of another level up and sees what new aspects and skills he has new access to.

In no time at all Enki is already level five and Erik uncharacteristically pumps the air in excitement before he shakes his head in shock at himself. He blushes as he sees Enki’s figure stretch in impatience on the level up screen. Man though, no wonder Jack wanted another pull in this game, it’s already quite addictive. He then hears his stomach grumble and is taken aback. He just ate didn’t he? He looks to the clock to confirm as the hunger overtakes him regardless of when his last meal was. He gets up to go grab food and finds himself shockingly sore. Jesus he needs to exercise more, or is he dehydrated? Just like Enki he stretches as he begins to make his way over to make a sandwich. 

He feels tensions familiar and new as he feels the pleasure in stretching his body to its limits. The hem of his shirt sits just a bit higher on him, exposing his thin waist and small treasure trail as his stomach grumbles once more. Alright already, he thinks as he throws together a meal and starts playing the game once more, just walking around and seeing what all the game has to offer. On the horizon he sees villages and castles that pique his interest as he struggles within his mind not to get too invested, he doesn’t want to throw money at this game.

Beginning his mindless grind for XP once more as he levels up his soreness starts to arise once more as he grumbles and adjusts his position. The couch creaks as his weight ever so slightly begins to increase, before once more his stomach demands his attention. “Jesus Christ! Why am I so hungry!?” He finds his blood starts to race as the irritation starts to rise. Perhaps he should give the game a rest. Deciding against having another meal he opts for junk and grabs a pint of ice cream. He’ll just hit the gym tomorrow.

Picking up a book he is taken aback as he realizes that thought just pushed itself into his mind. He has no gym membership, he’s never had one? He must have meant he’ll go for an, uh, hike or something? To distract his mind from that oddity he turns to start his book, quickly finishing his pint of ice cream as he struggles to sink his teeth into this book he thought he liked? He was quite invested last time he picked it up but at the moment he finds himself picking up and checking his phone an inordinate amount. His mind keeps thinking back to Enki’s muscular body as he impatiently taps his foot. He can’t seem to sit comfortably on the couch, be it the soreness or a rising anxiety in his body at sitting and reading this boring book. Ah, this book he quite liked, rather. He groans in irritation, and closes his eyes as he tries to work out what is going on with him.

Soon enough though, distraction arrives as Jack calls. “Dude you’ve gotta play more to get me my pull.” Erik opens his mouth to answer before noticing Jack sounds off, he asks, “Do you have a cold?”

He scoffs, “Erik, c’mon bro you just gotta get to level ten so we can both get good!” Erik again pauses as he listens closer to the other line, Jack is clearly amped about something more than this stupid little game, he then hears a familiar slapping sound and a deep grunt come from his friend and he calls out, “Jack dude! What? Are you mast-” Jack quickly interrupts him, “Chill bro of course not! Just, just uh. Here watch this level up thing and you’ll do it super fast, trust.”

The line goes dark as Jack apparently hangs up before sending a link to an ad for Erik to watch. Refusing to engage with the fact he was pretty sure his friend was masturbating just now he plays the ad and is shocked to find out it's for a partnership with a local gym!? His head sears with pain as he struggles to think of how weird this paired with him thinking about the gym earlier, but he is unable to make that leap as his eyes drink in muscular men pumping iron at the gym. It ends with a message saying players get a month trial. “God that’s bizarre.” 

He grimaces once more as he changes into pajamas and jumps into bed before taking advantage of his level up boost. He starts completing missions and defeating mobs as he approaches level ten at a rapid pace. He doesn't notice as his pajamas catch weird on his body as he lies there, his feet suddenly sticking out from beyond the blankets as he flexes his toes, not feeling as they surge a bit larger. As soon as he hits the milestone he lets out something between a yawn and a groan as he stretches, not noticing as he echoes deeper than he has ever sounded before. He finds no comfort in rest as he quickly drifts to sleep, his body tossing and turning in bed as he accidentally leaves his phone on, leaving Enki to accrue passive experience as continues to level up well into the night.

The root of Erik’s soreness makes itself apparent as he shifts in his bed, muscle starting to make itself known through his increasingly tight pajamas. He sweats completely through his clothes and leaves a deep pile of drool on his pillow as, unaware to him, he starts getting hard in his sleep as his cock grows larger than he has ever seen it before, his balls growing larger and hanging lower as he dreams of open fields and intense fights.

After no time at all however he wakes up with a start rocketing sweat into the room and tearing his pajama top. He is absolutely raring with energy that he needs to make use of. Before that though he sees a notification on his phone. Oh yeah, he didn’t use his pull did he. He smirks as he wonders what kind of hero he is to get next as he clicks through to roll hsi new character. As the light glimmers once more he hears a familiar grunt though as Enki once more dervishes with an ax through villains.

There is a slight disappointment in him as he sees he has somehow gotten this standard barbarian once more. Though seeing his stats improve as he now apparently has two starts sets him right as rain. His pulse races with excitement as he imagines how much better he will be. He quickly jumps out of bed, not noticing his pajama pants now rest at his mid-calf, and throws on some clothes to race to the gym to get his apparent free membership.

He neglects to take an uber or a bus however as he instead just starts to jog to the gym, not pulling up directions either as he somehow is able to intuit his way. In a lingering act of curiosity at what other heroes he could have pulled he clicks through the mages and thieves and smirks as he is suddenly glad he didn’t get such weak looking characters. He feels his shoes tighten as his feet surge larger once more carrying him to his destination. Besides denigrating the classes he usually enjoys playing he finds his eyes also catch on one named “Sir Gilgar” some kinda kingly paladin type who is apparently close with Enki. He tilts his head with interest at this man as he arrives at the gym.

Standing still he suddenly notices that he forgot to put on deodorant at home. He sniffs at his pits wondering how much of an issue it is to be, he definitely smells worse than usual, though it’s definitely not worth the trip back home. He is called over by the man at the front desk who bears an odd resemblance to the bear of a blacksmith from the game. “Yo bro! You play A.D.?” Erik nods his head as the receptionist continues, “Enki yeah?” Erik stumbles back in confusion, “Uh Erik actually?” to which the man just laughs “hah, oh yeah that’s what I meant. You’re friend told me you might be in.”

There is then an arm around Erik's shoulder, though heavier and higher than any of his friends could possibly have. Before he can turn to see however he notices that his less than pleasant musk is immediately overshadowed by the stink coming from this pit right next to his face, and finds himself taken aback once more as he is jealous, at the stink, whispering “what the fuck?” as he turns to this mammoth of a man. 

The man before him is, familiar? He squints his eyes as he sees the chiseled chin and long wavy hair. Ah that’s why, he looks just like that paladin Erik just saw in game doesn’t he what was his name? “Gilgar?”

The man smiles and laughs heartily, a deep rumble that makes Erik blush as he looks down and pats him on the back. “Huhuh no bro,it’s me Jack! Thanks for downloadin’ the game dude it’s really helped me get uh, bigger? Yeah, huhuh! I was playin’ it all night.” Erik continues to stare the man up and down, struggling to find anything to reconcile that this is his friend Jack. As he does so though his memories quickly change as he hungrily stares at his defined chest and weighty biceps, this is actually what Sir Jack’s always looked like though? He then shakes his head to respond, “yeah I can tell dude, you certainly didn’t shower.” 

“Huh” Jack grunts as he raises his arm to smell his pit, exposing a deep bush that Erik can’t help but stare in to with a hungry jealousy. He laughs once more, this time though there is something more sinister in it as Erik realizes that he has been staring down back at him the entire time, with something ulterior in his eyes. Before he can start to inquire or investigate what that is though Jack messes with his hair and heads for the showers, “why don’t you go and get started Erik, gonna need a lotta work to catch up with me huhuh!” 

He turns and leaves Erik alone, as he feels a fire burn in his chest. He should use this. Erik puts the game away as he throws on a workout playlist and he starts going all out lifting weights and going at the machines. He doesn't wonder how he so perfectly knows how to carry his body and expertly perform flawless exercise at every turn. He smirks as his pulse continues to race as he goes all out to try and sculpt his body like Gilgar, er Jack did. There is an itch on Erik’s chest as he does so, hope it’s not a rash he thinks as he continues about the workout. He scratches at it as below his shirt hair begins to push out in the middle of his pecs. It swirls around aiming to cover them entirely as a similar itch starts winding his way up his stomach as his treasure trail expands thicker and darker, rising higher to connect his pubes to his increasingly expansive chest hair. The music on his phone changes without his notice to the songs from the game. Enki’s theme starts to rise in pitch as his grunts deepen with every thrust and pull of his workout. The deepest itch yet starts to emerge in his pits as he throws weights down to scratch at them  His hands absolutely rank with his pit sweat as he brings his hand to his nose and smirks as he looks down to his darker hair, smirking as he already feels more like a man.

Erik then has the brilliant idea that if he switches to the treadmill where he’ll be able to play the game while still getting his blood pumping. Once he sets the treadmill going and pulls out the app, ignoring a picture sent from his friend, he sees that after starting his membership he has gotten another pull in game. He crosses his fingers this time desiring nothing more than to get himself, no, his Enki once more. He could not care about the improbability of it all as after the bright flash he hears the familiar grunt of Enki as he whispers under his breath along, still racing faster than he’s ever run before on this treadmill.

As he elevates his hero to three stars he finds himself running even faster on the treadmill. His stomps growing heavier as he continues to race faster and faster on the machine without lifting a finger or pushing a button to speed it up. He exhales through his nose like a bull as he feels his blood course through him, spreading a heat through the whole of his body. He clenches the arms of the treadmill just to exert further force upon it as his vision begins to grow red as he begins to outpace the fastest setting on the treadmill. Tears appear in his shoes and his thighs burst larger, absolutely tearing his shorts to shreds as he slams step after step into the track of the machine. He grasps at the knob of the treadmill trying to ratchet it faster than it’s max to little avail. 

His blood burns in his veins as he twists the button off the shoddy machine and every muscle in his body tenses and surges larger as he feels rage become impossible to control, displacing every thought in his mind. His shirt strains and then bursts as his chest flexes larger exposing the newly hairy curls on his still growing pecs as each expansive breath surges deeper and heavier. 

He strains to restrain himself  from enacting violence in the middle of the gym as he sees his phone fall to the floor, somehow midway through yet another pull without his input. He feels spit on his chin dripping through a beard he didn’t even notice he started growing as he breathes through his clenched teeth. It begins to push out even further, his jaw itching deeply from every angle as his stubble becomes a dense beard, thicker than he would have thought ever possible as Enki’s familiar theme begins to blare from the phone dropped on the floor. 

He pants as he struggles to hold back his rage though as the seconds pass he starts to wonder why he would ever do so, he is En- no he is Erik. He is a formidable, ugh. He clenches at his head as his legs push him higher into the air. He sees thick veins surge down his arms as they force themselves larger, hair darkening them up from his wrist and spreading up his biceps as his chest hair spreads to connect to his dense pits. His body begins to shake with the rage barely restrained.

At this moment there is once more a friendly arm around his shoulder and a familiar musk immediately breaks through his mindless anger as he turns to see his friend. His rival? It is not worth interrogating, he closes his eyes and smells the musk of his long companion Sir Gilgar. He turns to look him directly in the eyes, finding himself directly at eye level despite being well below it when he first stepped into the gym. There is a cocky smirk plastered on his face as if he were used to being the most impressive man in the room. Erik finds himself readily agreeing with this assessment, as long as of course Enki himself does not hold the position, shaking his head as he flexes groans as his body struggles to expand even further. 

Erik shakes back to reality as he sees that Sir Gilgar has been talking to him, his eyes inscrutibly somewhere between a haughtiness and a hunger as he continues, “Sorry Enki are you not listening?” Erik feels his check burn and he groans as he responds, “I, I am Erik not ugh.” He feels his mind grow confused as he sees his friend, his bedfellow in front of him. Thoughts fly through his head from two worlds and he struggles to remember who, Erik is.

Seeing Erik’s eyes grow blank as drool begins to pool in his mouth Gilgar kneels to grab the phone and begins tapping through the menus of the game. Taking a moment to stare and smirk at his own reflection in the screen before navigating to a purchase menu for Erik. He sees the bulge in Erik’s shredded pants begin to grow heavier as he hands his phone to him and asks, “Why not get this over with Enki, just embrace it. Don’t you want to be with me? All you need to do is hit one button.”

Erik’s eyes blast back to focus as he grunts and his cock surges even larger in his underwear at the thought of being with the man in front of him. Without a thought he purchases one last pull and doesn’t even watch as he knows what is to occur. He feels his pulse begin to race as an itch spreads through his veins, every tendon and muscle in his body warms as he almost vibrates with energy. Gilgar leads him to the locker room as he continues to convulse and grow.

Memories of his life before this game fade without contest as he recalls life as Enki, the barbarian, the warrior. Pride surges through him as he remembers countless victories and the beyond countless days of training to ensure this. He recalls being the pride of his village, of his people, of Sir Gilgar’s eye. He remembers the fateful day they met and the wrestling match that ensued, the contest that locked them together ever more, and the subsequent wrestling matches that devolved into something even more primal.

These memories continue to surge into his head as he continues to follow his companion into the locker room. His suddenly confused at why he is in such a bizarre place, he is a warrior is he not? Enki scratches at his pit and sniffs the musty air before deciding not to care, thinking was more his friend’s purview. The only thing he is truly concerned about at the moment is the increasing weight in his crotch. Seeing Gilgar start to disrobe in the corner of this tiled room Enki’s lust grows beyond any ability to fight it as he pounces, not even thinking to remove his underwear as his cock pushes beyond the bounds anyway. The two then begin wrestling as they often do before it turns into the frotting that it always does these days.

Enki does not know or care for the game that he awoke obsessed with this morning. Nor will he ever again. In fact there are few things at all as he prefers to do anything but think. Though somewhere beyond his rage, beyond his lust, he will be grateful for that link sent by his companion for it has allowed him to experience truly mindless pleasure evermore.

[headspace-hotel]

There's a plentiful supply of nature and ecology writers that criticize "Anthropocentrism" and tell readers that we shouldn't consider ourselves more important than other life forms, and then they write things that are like "We evolved to live in Nature in a Natural environment...Long ago humans lived as hunter-gatherers instead of farming and domesticating animals...But when civilization was created, man unnaturally subjugated and modified plants and animals...Bringing them under human control for his own benefit...Man replaces natural ecosystems with artificially created "post-natural" environments...Now humans live in an unnatural environment that is separated from Nature...and i'm like buddy. do you even hear yourself

Since I have access to a bigger library now, I've explored "deep ecology" and "green anarchism" and "Biocentrism" a bit more and what i've seen is still kinda silly. The writers have very thoughtful theory and philosophy of diverse subjects relating to morality, society, power, and liberation, but...they just don't know very much about Nature.

I mean several things by that: first, they're not clear on the boring, practical details of things like food systems and the way construction alters ecosystems, second, they don't try to clearly define what "nature" is, and third, they act like "nature" has a clear definition anyway.

Now nature is pretty much undefinable anyway, a couple possible definitions are "all things that exist, have existed, or are possible in the universe" and "the thing that a forest has that a parking lot doesn't." You can say "biodiversity," but every space has biodiversity, and it's not clear how much biodiversity a space is "supposed" to have, we're just going on vibes. And the vibes are right, in a way; I visited an old-growth forest and it was DIFFERENT than any place i'd ever been in a way that is hard to describe. A flourishing, biodiverse ecosystem is different than a parking lot, a lawn, a monoculture field of corn. They say it's good for your health to be "in nature." What does that mean? At what point does a place become "nature?" How many trees does it have to have?

Something that is so painful to me is when people write "Human activities" as a cause of biodiversity loss. This is an act of cowardice. WHICH human activities? Name them.

A lot of nature and ecology writings treat humans like they have an anti-biodiversity force field that emanates from them. They write like lands on Earth are each contested between two inversely proportional forces, "Nature" and "Humans."

Without any more information, this is ethereal bullshit on par with crystals having energies. I am totally perplexed at the lack of curiosity about the specific causes and details of "human impacts." The division of habitats by so many roads and relentless speeding of cars with no way for wildlife to cross...the dumping of massive amounts of poison into soils and water...the wounding and disturbance of topsoil...these are the "human activities," but we can imagine a world without such destruction, and we can create that world.

Too many essays and papers talking about Nature non-specifically, an Idea of Nature, a Concept that everyone just intuitively knows. Nature is...you know...wildness! and trees! and...well, you know, NATURE!

And we do know! When we step out into the parking lot surrounded by low, squarish buildings and blaring signs and the stink of car exhaust, we know that something is very wrong with this place! Even we find these horrible un-places harsh and unwelcoming.

But it is very hard to imagine something different, because the other type of place, the place that is beautiful and soothes the spirit and is full of life, is by definition the place where humans only go to visit, the complete opposite and inverse of a place where humans work and live! Wherever humans live, shop, eat, fulfill their daily needs, that place is Not Nature.

The huge mistake, is that we believe that it is necessary to have places that are Not Nature. We believe that for humans to exist, areas must be set aside where the very concept of Nature is utterly obliterated.

From this imaginary and dismal point of view, we have to carefully confine our own lives to places that are utterly poisoned, sterilized, made into a hostile wasteland, and leave all the rest of the living biosphere to itself in pristine preserves.

And in this imaginary and dismal point of view, the one that divides Earth into Nature and Humans, it is okay to poison and to sterilize and to destroy, because humans must live SOMEWHERE, therefore Nature must be utterly excluded from at least SOME of Earth.

BUT...WHAT IF EVERYWHERE IS NATURE? What if the dandelions in the cracks of the pavement, the lichens growing on the park bench, the wildflowers on the side of the road, the sparrows in the parking lot—what if they are all Nature just as much as anything else? What if they too are sacred? What if it is our responsibility to see the connectedness of all life and to care for all ecosystems, however broken and hurt they may be?

What if Nature is not distant and abstract, untouched in some pristine place, but always reaching out, digging into the crumbled concrete and gravel and compacted ground, clawing to return to us and bring us back home?

It does not take away from the value of the old-growth forest or the unplowed prairie if we open our eyes and see even the scraggliest patch of overgrown weeds for the powerful manifestation of Nature it truly is.

Nature is not a place or a thing. Nature is the Movement, the Endless Happening, constantly alive throughout all life, the way of all things being family, the way of all things taking care of each other, the way of all life being constantly transformed through one another. You breathe the breath of the trees of your home, you drink the water of the streams of your home, you eat the sunlight that falls on your home, grown in the soil where all things go to be transformed through death into a new form of life, fed by the mycorrhizal network, pollinated by the bees, wasps, flies, and moths, nourished by the bone, blood and manure of beasts, and ultimately the fertile river valleys where agriculture first began, were replenished by the rich silt that washed down the river, which came from the forests in the mountains that shed their leaves to make a feast for a million decomposing critters, which is how the rich soil is made.

In this way they all take care of you, and in return you are asked to Live—to take care of them in return, to live as part of the great family of everything alive, to live, to live

What are human activities...? Deforestation? Mining? Spraying pesticides? Building housing developments? But is that all? Are we inherently a "bad" and "destructive" species, or is our ability to acquire and pass down knowledge, use tools and novel behaviors, alter our surroundings, shape ecosystems, adapt our lifestyles almost infinitely, and persist in almost any environment, simply incredibly powerful for good or for evil?

First of all, what better way to demonstrate a contrast to anthropocentrism...than to compare the impact of humans alone to the impact of an ENTIRE KINGDOM OF LIFE, the fungi????? Of course all of Fungi are more important than one single species??? Wtf?!?!?

But also, we should not convince ourselves of our own insignificance and worthlessness to the biosphere, because in the same way that individual self-loathing can be a way to avoid the hard work of loving oneself and advocating for the love one deserves, collective self-loathing as a species is a way of avoiding the responsibility we have to other life forms.

How can this author not think of a single role Humans play in the ecosystem?? What species plants trees, saves seeds, documents rare plants, rescues injured animals and heals them, raises orphaned chicks, manages controlled burns, digs ponds, thoughtfully harvests in anticipation of future seasons, mercifully culls in understanding of suffering that cannot be fixed? What species writes a new chapter in the genome of the American Chestnut so it can be saved from extinction? What species mends the broken kakapo egg with sticky tape? What species addresses their own habitat with that fondest name of Home?