#Mark S Altman

[floorman3]

1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever Review- A Docuseries That Brought Me Back to My Childhood in a Great Way

The fact that 1982 is a year that has been one that made me who I am today is pretty incredible to me. That year had so many of my favorite movies. ET the Extraterrestrial is a film that has been one of the most influential movies of my lifetime. I was only 8 years old at the time, but I loved that movie so much. I still remember watching it at a drive-in theater, and I felt ET and Elliot (Henry…

[moviesandmania]

MONSTER PORTAL (2021) Reviews of Lovecraftian horror - free to watch online! [updated]

Monster Portal is a 2021 British horror film about a cult that is about to awaken H.P. Lovecraft‘s most feared creature… Cthulhu! Also known as H. P. Lovecraft’s Monster Portal and formerly known as The Offering and Paranormal Cemetery. Written and directed by Matthew B.C. (Eyewitness; Blood in the Water; Exorcist Vengeance; Medusa) from a story co-written by editor Scott Jeffrey [aka Scott…

[justforbooks]

Donald Sutherland

Commanding and versatile actor known for his roles in MAS*H, Don’t Look Now and The Hunger Games

Donald Sutherland, who has died aged 88, brought his disturbing and unconventional presence to bear in scores of films after his breakthrough role of Hawkeye Pierce, the army surgeon in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H (1970), one of the key American films of its period. It marked Sutherland out as an iconoclastic figure of the 60s generation, but he matured into an actor who made a speciality of portraying taciturn, self-doubting characters. This was best illustrated in his portrayal of the tormented parent of a drowned girl, seeking solace in a wintry Venice, in Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now (1973), and of the weak, nervous, concerned father of a guilt-ridden teenage boy (Timothy Hutton) in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People (1980).

Although Sutherland appeared in the statutory number of stinkers that are many a film actor’s lot, he was always watchable. His career resembled a man walking a tightrope between undemanding parts in potboilers and those in which he was able to take risks, such as the title role in Federico Fellini’s Casanova (1976).

Curiously, it was Sutherland’s ears that first got him noticed, in Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen (1967). During the shoot, according to Sutherland, “Clint Walker sticks up his hand and says, ‘Mr Aldrich, as a representative of the Native American people, I don’t think it’s appropriate to do this stupid scene where I have to pretend to be a general.’ Aldrich turns and points to me and says, ‘You with the big ears. You do it’ … It changed my life.” In other words, it led to M*A*S*H and stardom.

Sutherland and his M*A*S*H co-star Elliott Gould tried to get Altman fired from the film because they did not think the director knew what he was doing due to his unorthodox methods. In the early days, Sutherland was known to have confrontations with his directors. “What I was trying to do all the time was to impose my thinking,” he remarked some years later. “Now I contribute. I offer. I don’t put my foot down.”

Sutherland, who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was a sickly child who battled rheumatic fever, hepatitis and polio. He spent most of his teenage years in Nova Scotia where his father, Frederick, ran a local gas, electricity and bus company; his mother, Dorothy (nee McNichol), was a maths teacher. He attended Bridgewater high school, then graduated from Victoria College, part of the University of Toronto, with a double major in engineering and drama. As a result of a highly praised performance in a college production of James Thurber’s and Elliott Nugent’s The Male Animal, he dropped the idea of becoming an engineer and decided to pursue acting.

With this in mind, he left Canada for the UK in 1957 to study at Lamda (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), where he was considered too tall and ungainly to get anywhere. However, he gained a year’s work as a stage actor with the Perth repertory company, and appeared in TV series such as The Saint and The Avengers. He was Fortinbras in a 1964 BBC production of Hamlet, shot at Elsinore castle and starring Christopher Plummer. He also appeared at the Criterion theatre in the West End in The Gimmick in 1962.

In 1959 he married Lois Hardwick; they divorced in 1966. Then he married the film producer Shirley Douglas, with whom he had twins, Kiefer and Rachel; they divorced in 1971. Kiefer, who grew up to become a celebrated actor, was named after the producer-writer Warren Kiefer, who put Sutherland in an Italian-made Gothic horror film, The Castle of the Living Dead (1964). Christopher Lee played a necrophile count, while Sutherland doubled as a dim-witted police sergeant and, in drag and heavy makeup, as a witch.

In an earlier era, the gawky Sutherland might not have achieved the stardom that followed the anarchic M*A*S*H, but Hollywood at the time was open for stars with unconventional looks, and Sutherland was much in demand for eccentric roles throughout the 70s.

He was impressive as a moviemaker with “director’s block” in Paul Mazursky’s messy but interesting Alex in Wonderland (1970), which contains a prescient dream sequence in which his titular character meets Fellini. In the same year, Sutherland played a Catholic priest and the object of Geneviève Bujold’s erotic gaze in Act of the Heart; he was the appropriately named Sergeant Oddball, an anachronistic hippy tank commander, in the second world war action-comedy Kelly’s Heroes; and he and Gene Wilder were two pairs of twins in 18th-century France in the broad comedy Start the Revolution Without Me.

Sutherland was at his most laconic, sometimes verging on the soporific, in the title role of Alan J Pakula’s Klute (1971), as a voyeuristic ex-policeman investigating the disappearance of a friend and getting deeply involved with a prostitute, played by Jane Fonda.

Sutherland and Fonda were teamed up again as a couple of misfits in the caper comedy Steelyard Blues (1973). It initially had a limited distribution due mainly to their participation together in the anti-Vietnam war troop show FTA (Fuck the Army), which Sutherland co-directed, co-scripted and co-produced.

Sutherland always made his political views known, although they surfaced only occasionally in his films. In among the many mainstream comedies and thrillers was Roeg’s supernatural drama Don’t Look Now, in which Sutherland and Julie Christie are superb as a couple grieving their dead daughter. Despite the dark subject matter, the film was notable for containing “one of the sexiest love scenes in film history”, according to Scott Tobias in the Guardian, the frank depiction of their love-making coming “like a desert flower poking through concrete”. The actor so admired Roeg that he named another son after him, one of his three sons with the French-Canadian actor Francine Racette, whom he married in 1972.

John Schlesinger’s rambling version of The Day of the Locust (1975) saw Sutherland as a sexually repressed character – called Homer Simpson – who tramples a woman to death in an act of uncontrolled rage. Perhaps Bernardo Bertolucci had that in mind when he cast Sutherland in 1900 (Novecento, 1976), in which he is a broadly caricatured fascist thug who shows his sadism by smashing a cat’s head against a post and bashing a young boy’s brains out. “And I turned down Deliverance and Straw Dogs because of the violence!” Sutherland recalled.

In Fellini’s Casanova, the second of his two bizarre Italian excursions in 1976, Sutherland coldly calculates seduction under his heavily made-up features. The performance, as remarkably stylised as it is, still reveals the suffering soul within the sex machine.

In 1978 he appeared in Claude Chabrol’s Blood Relatives, a made-in-Canada murder mystery with Sutherland playing a Montreal cop investigating the murder of a young woman. More commercial was The Eagle Has Landed (1976), with Sutherland, attempting an Irish accent, as an IRA member supporting the Germans during the second world war, and as a chilling Nazi in Eye of the Needle (1981). Meanwhile, he was the hero of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), who resists the insidious alien menace until the film’s devastating final shot.

In 1981 Sutherland returned to the stage, as Humbert Humbert in a highly anticipated version of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, adapted by Edward Albee. It turned out to be a huge flop, running only 12 performances on Broadway. Both Sutherland and Albee played the blame game. “The second act is flawed,” Sutherland said. “Albee was supposed to have rethought it, but he never did.” Albee told reporters that he had scuttled some of his best scenes because they were “too difficult” for Sutherland because “he hasn’t been on stage for 17 years”.

Continuing his film career, Sutherland played a complex and sadistic British officer in Hugh Hudson’s Revolution (1985), and in A Dry White Season (1989) he took the role of an Afrikaner schoolteacher beginning to understand the brutal realities of apartheid. In Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991), he held the screen with an extended monologue as he spilled the conspiracy beans to Kevin Costner’s district attorney hero Jim Garrison.

After having made contact with young audiences in the 70s with offbeat appearances in gross-out pictures The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), the latter as a pot-smoking professor, he was cast as an unconvincing bearded stranger in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).

On a more adult level were Six Degrees of Separation (1993), in which he played an unfulfilled art dealer; A Time to Kill (1996), as an alcoholic, disbarred lawyer (alongside Kiefer); Without Limits (1998), as an enthusiastic athletics coach; and Space Cowboys (2000), as an elderly pilot. By this time, he was gradually moving into grey-haired character roles, one of the best being his amiable Mr Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005).

The Jane Austen novel was also featured in the television series Great Books (1993-2000), to which Sutherland lent his soothing voice as narrator. Other series in which he shone as quasi baddies were Commander in Chief (2005) – as the sexist Republican speaker of the house opposed to the new president (Geena Davis) – and Dirty Sexy Money (2007-09), in which he played a powerful patriarch of a wealthy family.

Sutherland continued to be active well into his 80s, his long grey hair and beard signifying sagacity, whether as a contract killer in The Mechanic, a Roman hero in The Eagle, a nutty retired poetry professor in Man on the Train (all 2011), or a quirky bounty hunter in the western Dawn Rider (2012), bringing more depth to the characters than they deserved. As President Coriolanus Snow, the autocratic ruler of the dystopian country of Panem in The Hunger Games (2012), Sutherland was discovered by a new generation; he went on to reprise the role in three further films in that franchise, beginning with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

He played artists in two art-world thrillers by Italian directors: in Giuseppe Tornatore’s Deception, AKA The Best Offer (2013), he was a would-be painter helping to execute multimillion-dollar scams, while in Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Burnt Orange Heresy (2019) he was on the other side of the heist as a reclusive genius targeted by a wealthy and unscrupulous dealer (Mick Jagger).

Aside from James Gray’s science-fiction drama Ad Astra (also 2019), in which he co-starred with Brad Pitt, Sutherland’s best late work was all for television. In Danny Boyle’s mini-series Trust (2018), which covered the same real-life events as Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, he played J Paul Getty, the oil tycoon whose grandson is kidnapped; while in The Undoing (2020), he was the father of a psychologist (Nicole Kidman), reluctantly putting up bail when her husband (Hugh Grant) is arrested for murder.

For the latter role Sutherland was in the running for a Golden Globe, having already received an honorary Oscar in 2017.

He is survived by Francine and his children, Kiefer, Rachel, Rossif, Angus and Roeg, and by four grandchildren.

🔔 Donald McNichol Sutherland, actor; born 17 July 1935; died 20 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[juniperwoodwell]

How ADCU characters would react to a s/o, who admits she's Insecure about her body.

Parings: Adam Sackler x F! Reader, Flip Zimmerman x F! Reader, Phillip Altman x F! Reader, Kylo Ren x F! Reader.

Warning(s): Cursing, 18+ content, Groping, Innuendos.

Word count: 2k

A/n: Sadly I've been feeling a bit down about myself and decided to write about the boy's, honestly I hope reading this helps you as much as it did for me. Enjoy ❤️

Oh, also. The photos were edited by me, I found them all on Pinterest.

Adam Sackler

He wasn't too surprised by the confession when you told him one night; he could tell by how shy you were when you started dating and began trying things out in the bedroom.

He didn't know how to bring it up or console you properly; usually, he'd immediately change the subject when you felt insecure about something. To you, it came off as him being uncaring about your insecurities, but one night you decided to bring it up.

"Hey, Adam.." You said quietly; your back was to him as you lay in his bed.

The question ran through your mind, keeping you awake. His arm wrapped around your front and pulled you against him,

"Yeah, Kid?" his voice was groggy from sleep.

"Why do you always change the subject when you notice me becoming insecure about something?"

 "You seriously want to talk about this now?" He groaned and nuzzled his face into your neck, but you sighed and slipped out of his grasp, sitting on the bed and crossing your legs.

"Yes. It's bugging me, and If I don't know the answer, I won't sleep."

 Another groan escaped his lips, missing your warmth as he sat up, leaning against the wall.

The warm lights from the window illuminated his skin with a golden glow; you sighed and picked at your nails.

 Adam grabbed your hand and quickly pulled you into his lap, tucking his head into your shoulder. His hands slid from your naked thighs to your hips, slipping under your (His) sleep shirt. Your breath hitched when his hands touched your stomach, and you immediately grabbed his wrists.

"Adam...Please don't."

"Why not? Why are you so ashamed of this?" He squeezed your sides for emphasis.

"I-I...I don't know. Maybe it's because, in high school, I desperately tried to be the hot skinny girl?" You joked,

"Really?" Adam asked, obviously not catching on.

"No, Not really. I...I guess it's just because I'm putting so much effort into losing weight, then not seeing any progress. It's always been this way. I either can't gain any weight or lose it. I used to get upset when I got stretch marks on my thighs or when my sides got pudgy."

Adam removed his hands from under your shirt, taking both of yours so he could interlace your fingers. He kissed your shoulder. "That's stupid."

 "Adam...Don't put down my insecurities."

"Why not? They deserve it. They're useless and only make you doubt yourself. I say screw it. Stop caring about how much you hate or dislike your thighs or belly. You're beautiful not by just how you look but by your personality. Though your appearance definitely adds to it."

"How can you say that?" You asked, closing your eyes as he continued to kiss the exposed skin of your neck and shoulders.

"Because I fucking love your body. I love how thick your thighs are, especially when they're trying to crush my head like a watermelon. I love how squishy your belly and sides are. It gives me something to hold onto when I'm railing you into the mattress. Oh, and don't get me started on your ass because I know you're insecure about that too. It's my favorite pillow. Knocks me right out."

His words were accompanied by a squeeze or poke to each part he mentioned. Making sure you knew just how much he loved the things you were insecure about. He realized the subject-changing method wasn't working, so he decided on a more... Physical  approach.

Flip Zimmerman

Flip's reaction was similar to Adams, but he couldn't wrap his head around how such a beautiful, intelligent, and talented woman could be insecure about herself. He wasn't sure how to console you, but he was determined to learn how.

He started by asking questions about your insecurities, always confused by the why and how. It irritated him to know that someone made you feel  this way about yourself. No...Not irritated. It pissed him off beyond belief, but he would never let you know that.

One night, he takes the situation into his own hands, quite literally. You two were preparing to go to the park's fall cookout park.

You stood in front of the mirror trying to fix your dress, you hated wearing them, but you thought you'd try the pretty housewife look. Biting your lip, you flopped your hands to your side, giving up.

"Hey, Stop that." Flip's low voice startled you out of your self-criticizing thoughts.

 "S-stop what, Hun?" You asked, Turning to look at him as he finished buttoning up that lovely red flannel you asked him to wear.

"That whole nitpicking thing you do when you try on new clothing. You look gorgeous in that dress. -actually, you look gorgeous in anything you wear...or don't wear" He smirked, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he walked over to you, taking your hand and turning you to face the mirror again.

He wrapped his arms around your middle and put his chin on top of your head, that smirk growing into a smile as he watched the blush blossom on your cheek.

"You tease" Your voice was small; He always managed to distract you from your negative thoughts

"My pretty little Wife." He moved his head to kiss your cheek. "If you don't like the dress, I can always rip it off your pretty little body and show you just how beautiful you are with and without it."

"Oh shush, we don't have time, Flip."

"Like they're gonna care if we're late,"

 You scoffed. "Late? Honey, With you...We'd miss the whole event"

 You rolled your eyes, seeing Flip smirk in the mirror.

"That wouldn't be so bad?" His hands slid down the sides of your dress, he pulled the skirt up, but your hands grasped his wrist before he could get too far.

"Yes. Yes, it would, Zimmerman." You smiled, meeting his eyes in the reflection.

"If we stayed home, I could show you all the ways to love your body." Your head turned to meet his gaze, that mischevous glint now replaced by a low gaze and lust-blow pupils. You patted his chest,

"As much as I'd love that...And really, I would. I promised the guys at the station I'd bring those cookies you all like."

Flip groaned and kissed your head. "You or those delicious cookies...Toughest decision of my life." Together you laughed, and you pulled away.

 Swaying your hips as you left the bedroom, knowing he'd be watching and following after.

"It better be me, Honey."

 A new wave of confidence found its way into your heart and mind.

"Always, sweetheart."

If Flip could love your body so damn much, So could you.

Phillip Altman

Philips's reaction was very childish, as were most of his reactions to things you tell him. He mostly laughed in disbelief. But he settled down when you put your hands on your hips and bit your lip.

"Holy shit, You're serious." His eyes were wide.

 As I said. Disbelief.

 "Yeah, Pal. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I-I don't know? You always seem so confident in the stuff you wear; you're like the queen of confidence. It radiates off you like the fucking sun. It shows in the way you walk and the way you talk."

You shook your head. "It's not really confidence, Phillip. I just like the clothing I wear."

"Liar, You know you're hot. You have no reason to be insecure. People should be insecure because of you and all your..." he moved his hands around the air, "Hotness."

 "Hotness?"

 "Yeah. You're fucking hot." You rolled your eyes;

 Phillip sighed as he stepped close to you. His hands ghosted up your arms, not touching but close enough to feel the heat. His hands cupped your face and squished your cheeks as he kissed you; he pulled away and gently shook your face

"And you better fucking believe it. Okay? Because If you don't, I'm gonna keep doing this until you do."

He smiled and kissed you again and again, Only stopping when your fingers wrapped around his wrists. "You believe me yet? Little punk?"

You smirked and shook your head, "Nah...I don't think this method is working."

"Oh? Then what will? Huh?  How about this?"

Philip let go of your face and fell to his knees. He stared up into your eyes like a love-sick puppy.

"Oh fuck...Phillip...Get. Up." You laughed;

 He shook his head as his hands grabbed the backs of your thighs, squeezing and kneading them through your jeans.

"Phillip," You groaned; you loved his hands, how big and warm they always felt. He knew it, too.

"Hmm?"

"Stop it." You grabbed a fistful of his hair before he could shove his head between your thighs; he groaned loudly at the feeling.

 "SHit- Do that again." You smirked at his request, tugging his hair again.

"You mean this?" He shut his eyes, groaning again.

 "Yess...Your hands are so fucking addictive." He opened his eyes, meeting your own. "You're so pretty from this angle, baby. If I could, I'd be on my knees for you forever."

Kylo Ren

Kylo was angry when you told him, not at you but at your reasoning behind it. He was furious that a man you put your trust and love in constantly put down your body or called you things that made you feel less than you were.

He was determined to show you just how wrong that bastard was.

He had you pinned against the wall of his bedroom, his lips on your neck, and your arms were held above you by the force while his hands roamed your body,

"If I ever hear you putting yourself down again, I will fuck you senseless until you only believe the words I say." You moaned softly at his words; his hands took the hem of your shirt and pulled it over your head; then he unclipped your pretty black bra, sliding the straps off, and watched as it fell to the floor before he lifted his eyes back to yours.

"Do you understand?" You nodded; Kylo gripped your chin firmly, asking the question again.

"Do. You. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, Sir."

Pleased with your response, he let go of your face and took one of your breasts in his grasp; he smirked at you before he leaned down, taking it into his warm mouth, licking and sucking sweetly, eliciting loud, shaky moans from you. He let it fall from his lips with a soft pop. He lifted his head and kissed you deeply, dominating you with his tongue. His hands groped your chest, and he rolled your nipples between his forefingers and thumbs, drinking your moans and whimpers.

 He pulled away from the kiss, releasing your wrists from the force; they draped tiredly over his shoulders. His hands left your breasts, sliding down over your stomach, finding their places on your hips.

"I wish you could love yourself as much as I do." He kissed you, squeezing your hips as he lifted you, you wrapped your legs around his waist, and he carried you to the bed, kissing your neck as he laid you down; his kisses trailed down from there.

When he reached your belly, he smiled up at you, his fingers dipping into the waistband of your pants.

"Guess I will just have to teach you how."

[trillscienceofficer]

“[Star Trek: The Next Generations fourth season episode ‘The Host’ i]s one of the most outstanding episodes we've ever done,” says story editor Brannon Braga. “Being in love with someone is not very fresh. Having the parasite being as the real intelligence and the body as the host is. It was not originally pitched as a love story, it was pitched as a squirmy worm who's really the intelligence. What's ironic is that the most repulsive story ever pitched to us ended up being the most touching love story and that's why it's so unique." Elaborates Ron Moore, “The addition of Beverly to that story is the vital component. A lot of freelancers would take that premise and say this is a show about the ambassador and the struggles of the parasitic creature and the war negotiations. No one really cares about that. But when it becomes a Beverly problem, who's in the position with the problem, and to some extent Riker, that's how it became a Star Trek story.” Ultimately ‘The Host’ has become one of the most popular Trek episodes in light of its non-polemic, but effective, advocacy of tolerance and acceptance. [...] Although many questioned Dr. Crusher's rejection of Odan, once transplanted into a female body, as homophobic, [director Marvin] Rush disagrees vehemently. “Most of the people that I have talked to thought the show worked pretty well and were entertained. Some comment was that they were unhappy with the ending because it was left a question. There was, or could have been, a sort of homosexual aspect to is [sic] and we chose not to go that route with it. I felt that it was more about the nature of love, why we love and what prevents us from loving. To me the best analogy is if your beloved turned into a cockroach, could you love a cockroach? It's the same person, if the person is the personality and the core within, but can you get past the outside? We as humans are affected by the whole package, including the outside shell, and Gates [McFadden] in her last scene talks about maybe someday our ability to love won't be so limited. She says mankind may one day be able to deal with this, but I can't. To me that is about the nature of love and I think that's an interesting, worthy discussion. Rather than deal with the fact it was because of any homosexual bent per se, it's just that in our culture and our society people who are heterosexual who want the companionship of a male because they are a female, wouldn't be able to deal with that opposite situation.”

From “Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages” by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (1995)

[For the record, I'm quoting this while completely disagreeing with the argument Marvin Rush made here. I think it's a textbook example of someone going ‘no I'm not a homophobe but—’ while also bringing transphobic sentiments to the table in order to justify themself. And it would've been easy to entirely sidestep all these ad-hoc rationalizations for ‘The Host’, just by doing what ‘Rejoined’ did with the same concepts—of the Trill and of love transcending hosts while still not being quite enough for a happily ever after—only a few years later.]

[alchemistoftheend]

Thrown Away (Case #0092302)

Pre-Statement

Statement of Kieran Woodward, regarding items recovered from the refuse of 93 Lancaster Road, Walthamstow.

Original statement given February 23, 2009.

Date of Event(s): August 8, 2008

Statement

Woodward works as a garbage collector, whose crew is comprised of David Atayah, Matthew Wilkinson, and Alan Parfitt

100s of assorted doll heads in a bag

The heads were battered, like they’ve been dragged through rough concrete

Few months later, at the start of spring there’s another weird bag

Inside was long strips of paper, with the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, written on it in Latin and slightly singed around the edges

The third bag, 2 weeks later, was filled with thousands of teeth🤮

“It almost felt like a ritual”🤨

The elderly could who answered the door wasn’t aware of what was in their trash

Alan got worse, more irritable and short-tempered

was fired after falling asleep behind the wheel and was replaced by Guy Wardman

On August 8, 2008, 2:09 am Woodward got a text from Alan that read “Found him”

Woodward went back to 93 Lancaster Road

There was a fourth bag, tied off with a dark green bow

Inside was polystyrene packing peanuts, and bronze or copper that had been carved into an anatomical heart, with “Alan Parfitt etched into it with “machine-like precision”

It was cold, like it just came out of a freezer

That was the last sign of Alan

He asked a friend to dispose it in a medical waste incinerator

Post-Statement/Thoughts

There’s been no more strange bags

Alan was reported as missing by his brother, Micheal on August 20, 2008

The teeth bag case was managed by Officers Suresh and Altman

The third bag contained 2780 of the same tooth, all it different states of decay

Do doll heads, Latin, and teeth

The Lord’s Prayer goes like this

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

Forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer was a way for Jesus’ disciples to express their reverence towards Christ, their worship and devotion to the divine

It’s also in Latin

In ep 4, I marked this quote “Latin fell out of favour as a language for academic texts in the 18th Century. Since then it has only really used for religious texts”

Ep 4 also reference King Solomon so more religious references

This book was also singed along its edges

This is the second instance where some kind of Latin text was burnt, ep 4 being the prior

I guess teeth would be associated with The Flesh

For the dolls and Latin idk

Just looked at the Fear Wiki

If I had to guess all the fires associated with the Latin could be The Desolation and the uncanniness of the doll heads could be The Stranger?

[wellntruly]

M*A*S*H (not that one)

I went to Manderley again--rewatched the Altman M*A*S*H. Completely worrying pattern, being nearly exactly one year after the first time I saw it. If I end up watching M*A*S*H (1970) in the last weeks of August every year that’s going to wind me up on some sort of list. By women. And they’ll be right.

I hadn’t known at first, but the eventual realization was as inevitable as anything in the movie, a sort of regrettable slide of “no, I’m gonna.” Why does anyone do the things they do in M*A*S*H. Why does anyone do M*A*S*H. Both of these questions don’t have question marks because it’s just already happening.

There are some attenuating circumstances, sure. War, weather, Robert Altman, a friend, a kind of numb seeking for the sword of time that will pierce your skin. Elliott Gould, probably, also. 

If you embark on a Hot ‘70s Summer, you don’t actually leave it. Winter just falls, and you go into that mode of the ‘70s, bundling up in inadequate materials against the cold, and still somehow, feel cozy. But before that turn, those still, hot weeks hanging hazy at the top of the year, the most Hot ‘70s Summer, 1970, the most ‘70 movie to ever exist: Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H. 

I was an hour and thirty minutes into it before I remembered with a little twitch that at some point, in the beginning, this was set in the 1950s. Hilarious to recall. Maybe it’s the 1950s in Richard Hooker’s book about his time in a Korean War field hospital, also titled M*A*S*H; I do not know. I simply know it is not the 1950s here, it is well 1969 precisely, at filming, and America has just achieved its dismal high water mark for the number of troops currently deployed in Vietnam. This is Vietnam. It’s not Korea, it’s not Japan, it’s the crest of the Vietnam War in a mountain park in California, and a nation knew that immediately, knew that with everything they had, which was mostly nihilism. 

M*A*S*H (1970) dir. Robert Altman is probably the most historically specific film object I have ever seen. You cannot navigate, valuably, anything this movie is doing outwith its historical and cultural context. Some works of art are timeless, and on the other end there is M*A*S*H, made OF time, yanked out of the fabric of it with film cameras rolling and a sound mix that says: all of it, and that act winds up changing what will happen--historically, culturally--as time continues on.

M*A*S*H is its time. It meets America head-on, and leers. It’s not that it breaks something in the culture, it just reflects back something that was already broken, the people already scarring over. M*A*S*H only works if you’re watching it knowing that. Not to be didactic. Something the movie resolutely refuses to be, at any moment, which causes audiences today, removed from the milieu, to question, alarmed, do they know? Do they know that they're awful? Oh yes. Do they also take delight in their being awful? Oho yes. We are all broken. :).

The tagline of this movie, still on a lot of the posters you’ll see, was “M*A*S*H gives a D*A*M*N.” This is so curious to me. It is either a straight up lie, or a key. This would appear a movie predominately peopled with characters who seem, in kind of post-modern incongruity with their surroundings, almost implacably non-committal. Removed, irreverent, careless. Sure it turns callous, sure in trying to deflect the stupid brutality of war they often just end up turning brutal stupidity onto others. A catalog of non-definite acts, something to mask the desperation.

I think a lot about this one Chris Fleming video where he said something like, “ever since my parents grasped that a movie can still be good even if it doesn’t make you feel good, they’ve been going absolutely ham at the independent theater.” Realizing this really does open up your world, and also gets you on lists (I deserve to be there!!). This is how lightly sweating in a slowly turning fan at the end of summer you think, mm, gonna watch M*A*S*H… 

Why? Vibes. But the vibes are bad. Yeah I know. But they’re also….I think the phrase I used in a message to the friend I first watched this movie with, as soon as those opening credits started playing over me again, was “badly enchanting.” There’s something about the way it looks, the way it sounds. Khaki-colored sunlight and dirt and those Japanese covers of old standards playing through a PA system. That Altman calling card layered up dialogue where they somehow arrange it just-so so that you still hear the parts you’re supposed to, god.

This is how you end up saying, oh this movie is not like, a nice time, I occasionally quite dislike the sensation of watching it, and yet also, sometimes it's just what I want to watch. I don’t know, it’s AltM*A*S*H. One minute I’m thinking, incredible that you thought this was funny, and then the next I’m like, you are the only people who understand this particular thing I think is funny. Primarily in that though it’s three things: 1. unhinged heavily metatextual opening and closing pacing & especially this narrating voice at the end just being like “welp, that was that” and rapidly rehashing clips of the cast at ever increasing speed, 2. two Bud Cort moments, 3. GaryBurghoffRadarO’Reilly.

This is the juncture where I get off actually, because if I keep going in this mode about the completely insane thing that somehow happened next, to M*A*S*H and to me, M*A*S*H (1972-1983), we'd be here 10 years and I would die, whichever comes first.

But I will tell you one thing! Just one thing!!! If I’m in what, 1972, much like I was 2022, and they’re like, there’s gonna be a M*A*S*H TV show, and the one person who will be the same is that kid Radar, I’m like oh, of course, the most character who can travel between worlds performance of all time.

[klaine-a03-feed]

Glee's Anatomy

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/4m8AwaS by Writer_Aleah The New Directions have their Nationals Competition In Seatle this year, the group decides to go out and explore. Eventually, they split up, going their own way. Kurt, by himself, walking through the city's darkness and down the alleyway, notices a distant sound. The morning after the group wakes up in the hotel, getting up and ready to practice for nationals, they see something missing. Where is Kurt? The drama continues at Seatle Grace, with Izzy's cancer and George disappearing. They don't think they can take much more until a 16-year-old gets wheeled out of an ambulance barely alive and beaten. Meredith and the rest of the staff's team of doctors will have to put their differences aside to save John Doe. Words: 1617, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Glee (TV 2009), Grey's Anatomy Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Blaine Anderson, Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez, Brittany S. Pierce, Sam Evans (Glee), Quinn Fabray, Mike Chang, Tina Cohen-Chang, Noah Puckerman, Lauren Zizes, Artie Abrams, Mercedes Jones, Shanon Beiste, Principal Figgins, Wes (Glee), David Karofsky, David the Warbler (Glee), Nick the Warbler (Glee), Jeff (Glee), Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel, Azimio Adams, Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, George O'Malley, Alex Karev, Derek Shepherd, Owen Hunt, Richard Webber, Callie Torres, Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy), Arizona Robbins, Izzie Stevens, Lexie Grey, Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy), Teddy Altman (Grey's Anatomy), Ben Warren Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce, Sam Evans/Quinn Fabray, Mike Chang/Tina Cohen-Chang, Noah Puckerman/Lauren Zizes, Artie Abrams/Tina Cohen-Chang, Sam Evans/Mercedes Jones, Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd, Owen Hunt/Cristina Yang, Teddy Altman/Owen Hunt, Arizona Robbins/Callie Torres, Miranda Bailey & George O'Malley, Jeff/Nick the Warbler (Glee)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Broadcast News (1987)

It never dawned on me that you might feel anxious during a romantic comedy until I watched Broadcast News. This film has strong opinions about what reporting should be, along with rich characters, big laughs, wonderful dialogue and a love triangle that keeps you wondering. It’s over 2 hours long but when it ends you’ll find yourself wishing for a director’s cut, or a sequel - anything to get even a little bit more.

At a news station in Washington, D.C., handsome and charismatic - but not particularly bright - Tom Grunick (William Hurt) is hired as a new anchorman. He’s the opposite of Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), a talented writer-reporter who melts when placed in front of the camera. Aaron's best friend is Jane Craig (Holly Hunter), the station's intense and passionate news producer. She consistently manages to get things done just in the nick of time - but just barely. There’s always been a sort of unspoken agreement between Jane and Aaron but Tom's arrival - and her attraction to him - threatens to disrupt it.

In so many films, the characters have a job but their careers are little more than a way to move us from one gag to another or a backdrop. Writer, director, and producer James L. Brooks cares about broadcast news as much as he does the people in this film. He cares so much that Broadcast News can even be a little off-putting to audiences. While Aaron might admire Tom for his telegenic qualities and willingness to coach him, they're rivals. Not because both are attracted to Jane; because in Aaron’s eyes, Tom embodies everything wrong with “today’s news”. Tom is likable but as far as Aaron’s concerned, the news is about the news. The facts are all that matter, not the person(s) delivering them or how emotional the stories might be. He’s particularly critical of a story that Tom presents on date rape - to Aaron, it's soft news that's manipulative and beneath the station's attention. This is where the film started to lose me and might you as well. It’s a tearjerker of a story, and it’s well told… but it’s no report on the Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua. You can see Aaron's point but he seems so harsh about it that you just stop liking him altogether. I'd also argue that someone you might bump into on the street - no matter how “banal” their story might be - is much more likely to impact your existence than people living in a faraway country you will never visit, no matter what the political repercussions might be. Or maybe I'm just a dumb-dumb. There’s A LOT to unpack in that moment alone, that's for sure.

Broadcast News is filled with great dialogue. Tom may not be as sharp as his fellow reporters but he isn’t comedically stupid. There aren’t any scenes where he blunders lines like a doofus. We see that he isn’t the brightest bulb in the drawer because he can't answer the tough questions. We don’t need to be told that Aaron is smart or that Jane is talented. We see it, we hear it. They feel real, which makes you interested in them. Their emotions are amplified by the romance that thread together all of the insights into this professional world.

You might not like Aaron very much because he’s kind of a jerk with an inflated ego but to be fair, he’s extremely talented and it’s hard not to feel your heart break a bit when you see him disappointed - a testament to Albert Brooks' skill as a performer. Holly Hunter has excellent chemistry with both her co-stars. Even on her own, she’s great and often funny in the most unexpected ways. Her first emotional breakdown is so offputting you’re not sure how you should feel. By the time we get to the third, you can’t help but laugh. Do these happen every day?! As for William Hurt, he's charismatic but there's a part of him that's slightly... not quite sinister, not quite slimy, but off-putting. You want to see more. When these people open up their hearts, you have no idea who Jane is going to end up with because you’re not sure who you like best - the mark of a great love triangle.

Although I can’t say that I immediately fell in love with Broadcast News, it intrigues me. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about these people and these situations. I don’t think one viewing is enough, and I mean that in a good way. (May 20, 2022)

[sixstringphonic]

OpenAI’s Sam Altman Urges A.I. Regulation in Senate Hearing

(Reported by Cecilia Kang, The New York Times, 5/16/23)

The tone of congressional hearings featuring tech industry executives in recent years can best be described as antagonistic. Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and other tech luminaries have all been dressed down on Capitol Hill by lawmakers upset with their companies.

But on Tuesday, Sam Altman, the chief executive of the San Francisco start-up OpenAI, testified before members of a Senate subcommittee and largely agreed with them on the need to regulate the increasingly powerful A.I. technology being created inside his company and others like Google and Microsoft.

In his first testimony before Congress, Mr. Altman implored lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence as members of the committee displayed a budding understanding of the technology. The hearing underscored the deep unease felt by technologists and government over A.I.’s potential harms. But that unease did not extend to Mr. Altman, who had a friendly audience in the members of the subcommittee.

The appearance of Mr. Altman, a 38-year-old Stanford University dropout and tech entrepreneur, was his christening as the leading figure in A.I. The boyish-looking Mr. Altman traded in his usual pullover sweater and jeans for a blue suit and tie for the three-hour hearing.

Mr. Altman also talked about his company’s technology at a dinner with dozens of House members on Monday night, and met privately with a number of senators before the hearing, according to people who attended the dinner and the meetings. He offered a loose framework to manage what happens next with the fast-developing systems that some believe could fundamentally change the economy.

“I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong. And we want to be vocal about that,” he said. “We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening.”

Mr. Altman made his public debut on Capitol Hill as interest in A.I. has exploded. Tech giants have poured effort and billions of dollars into what they say is a transformative technology, even amid rising concerns about A.I.’s role in spreading misinformation, killing jobs and one day matching human intelligence.

That has thrust the technology into the spotlight in Washington. President Biden this month said at a meeting with a group of chief executives of A.I. companies that “what you’re doing has enormous potential and enormous danger.” Top leaders in Congress have also promised A.I. regulations.

That members of the Senate subcommittee for privacy, technology and the law did not plan on a rough grilling for Mr. Altman was clear as they thanked Mr. Altman for his private meetings with them and for agreeing to appear in the hearing. Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, repeatedly referred to Mr. Altman by his first name.

Mr. Altman was joined at the hearing by Christina Montgomery, IBM’s chief privacy and trust officer, and Gary Marcus, a well-known professor and frequent critic of A.I. technology.

Mr. Altman said his company’s technology may destroy some jobs but also create new ones, and that it will be important for “government to figure out how we want to mitigate that.” He proposed the creation of an agency that issues licenses for the creation of large-scale A.I. models, safety regulations and tests that A.I. models must pass before being released to the public.

“We believe that the benefits of the tools we have deployed so far vastly outweigh the risks, but ensuring their safety is vital to our work,” Mr. Altman said.

But it was unclear how lawmakers would respond to the call to regulate A.I. The track record of Congress on tech regulations is grim. Dozens of privacy, speech and safety bills have failed over the past decade because of partisan bickering and fierce opposition by tech giants.

The United States has trailed the globe on regulations in privacy, speech and protections for children. It is also behind on A.I. regulations. Lawmakers in the European Union are set to introduce rules for the technology later this year. And China has created A.I. laws that comply with its censorship laws.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut and chairman of the Senate panel, said the hearing was the first in a series to learn more about the potential benefits and harms of A.I. to eventually “write the rules” for it.

He also acknowledged Congress’s failure to keep up with the introduction of new technologies in the past. “Our goal is to demystify and hold accountable those new technologies to avoid some of the mistakes of the past,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “Congress failed to meet the moment on social media.”

Members of the subcommittee suggested an independent agency to oversee A.I.; rules that force companies to disclose how their models work and the data sets they use; and antitrust rules to prevent companies like Microsoft and Google from monopolizing the nascent market.

“The devil will be in the details,” said Sarah Myers West, managing director of AI Now Institute, a policy research center. She said Mr. Altman’s suggestions for regulations don’t go far enough and should include limits on how A.I. is used in policing and the use of biometric data. She noted that Mr. Altman didn’t show any indication of slowing down the development of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool.

“It’s such an irony seeing a posture about the concern of harms by people who are rapidly releasing into commercial use the system responsible for those very harms,” Ms. West said.

Some lawmakers in the hearing still displayed the persistent gap in technological know-how between Washington and Silicon Valley. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, repeatedly asked witnesses if a speech liability shield for online platforms like Facebook and Google also applies to A.I.

Mr. Altman, calm and unruffled, tried several times to draw a distinction between A.I. and social media. “We need to work together to find a totally new approach,” he said.

Some subcommittee members also showed a reluctance to clamp down too strongly on an industry with great economic promise for the United States and that competes directly with adversaries such as China.

The Chinese are creating A.I. that “reinforce the core values of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese system,” said Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware. “And I’m concerned about how we promote A.I. that reinforces and strengthens open markets, open societies and democracy.”

Some of the toughest questions and comments toward Mr. Altman came from Dr. Marcus, who noted OpenAI hasn’t been transparent about the data its uses to develop its systems. He expressed doubt in Mr. Altman’s prediction that new jobs will replace those killed off by A.I.

“We have unprecedented opportunities here but we are also facing a perfect storm of corporate irresponsibility, widespread deployment, lack of adequate regulation and inherent unreliability,” Dr. Marcus said.

Tech companies have argued that Congress should be careful with any broad rules that lump different kinds of A.I. together. In Tuesday’s hearing, Ms. Montgomery of IBM called for an A.I. law that is similar to Europe’s proposed regulations, which outlines various levels of risk. She called for rules that focus on specific uses, not regulating the technology itself.

“At its core, A.I. is just a tool, and tools can serve different purposes,” she said, adding that Congress should take a “precision regulation approach to A.I.”

[thatsastepladder]

It's been brought to my attention that, with the wedding of Tony Stark and Emma Frost, the last of the hints dropped in 2019's History of the Marvel Universe #6 have been fulfilled at long last. I bet Mark Waid didn't think it would take this long when he was writing this page, but the way Marvel chose to respond to the COVID-19 emergency turned a lot of plans on their heads.

So, let's break them down, going top to bottom, left to right.

The Age of Khonshu: This was an arc in Jason Aaron's Avengers run, notable for not being very good and for Moon Knight catching and controlling Mjolnir because it's "made of moon rock."

The interstellar reign of the half-breed: This is referring to the Empyre event and its fallout, where Hulkling/Teddy Altman/Dorrek VIII takes the throne of the united Kree-Skrull empire, as was his destiny.

The rise of the outlaw generation: This was the Outlawed event, which was about as forgettable as they come and is only remembered for spawning the awful New Warriors series from Daniel Kibblesmith (the Snowflake/Safespace one) that never got published.

The King In Black: Self-explanatory, this was 2021's Venom-centric King in Black event, where the dark symbiote god Knull led an invasion of symbiote dragons upon Earth.

The Wedding of Tony Stark and Emma Frost: This one just happened a few months back, it has to do with some Fall of X stuff that's too much to explain here. Just know that it's a marriage of convenience.

The tragic fate of Luke & Jess's second child: This one's a little iffy in that the tragic fate hasn't happened yet, but they did adopt one of the Purple Man's abandoned children at the end of the Devil's Reign event.

The Defenders of tomorrow: It's not entirely clear to me, but I think this one's referring to the Al Ewing Defenders and Defenders Beyond series. If you like fun, trippy cosmic stories, you should check them out.

Warbird and Threadneedle: Are both new characters who showed up in Kurt Busiek's The Marvels maxiseries, which was a fun deep dive into obscure Marvel history - specifically history that Waid partially retconned in during this very series to explain the backstories of characters who were originally WWII or Vietnam vets.

The fate of Mephisto: I'd hoped this would be hinting at something in Nick Spencer's Spider-Man run, but, alas, it just turned out to be Jason Aaron's Avengers again, and was... kind of underwhelming. Oh, well.

[rthidden]

AI on the Rise: Small Biz Sky's the Limit

Remember when you thought AI was the stuff of sci-fi movies?

Well, it's taking center stage in the business world now, with small startups riding the wave and transforming faster than you can say "iPod."

Why it matters

For small business owners, grasping the AI S-curve can be a game-changer.

We're in the "takeoff" stage, folks, where opportunity abounds, and getting in now could mean the difference between blazing a trail and trailing behind.

The big picture

The global AI market could skyrocket from $207.9 billion in 2023 to planetary levels by 2030, thanks to a 37.3% growth rate (Grand View Research, 2023).

That's like turning your lemonade stand into a global refreshment empire.

Think of it as AI's version of the Beatles' Beatlemania – just techier.

Overheard at the water cooler

"Dude, my competitor just started using generative AI and sped ahead like Mario in a kart race. Forget red shells; I need to power up with my own AI upgrade!"

By the numbers

42% of businesses are testing AI waters as we speak (IBM Global AI Adoption Index, 2023).

The generative AI sector alone could hit $188.62 billion by 2032.

That's like putting a turbo boost on your business growth.

The plot twist

AI doesn't spell the end of the line for innovation; it marks the beginning of an all-new track.

As Sam Altman puts it, we're staring down "a multi-decade transformation" that rewrites the rulebook for every industry.

The bottom line

The AI revolution isn't just for tech behemoths.

Small businesses can strike gold without digging through complexity.

Get on board now and seize the limitless skies before your competition does – because nobody ever won by waiting on the ground.

[jcmarchi]

Senators probe OpenAI on safety and employment practices

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/senators-probe-openai-on-safety-and-employment-practices/

Senators probe OpenAI on safety and employment practices

.pp-multiple-authors-boxes-wrapper display:none; img width:100%;

Five prominent Senate Democrats have sent a letter to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, seeking clarity on the company’s safety and employment practices.

The letter – signed by Senators Brian Schatz, Ben Ray Luján, Peter Welch, Mark R. Warner, and Angus S. King, Jr. – comes in response to recent reports questioning OpenAI’s commitment to its stated goals of safe and responsible AI development.

The senators emphasise the importance of AI safety for national economic competitiveness and geopolitical standing. They note OpenAI’s partnerships with the US government and national security agencies to develop cybersecurity tools, underscoring the critical nature of secure AI systems.

“National and economic security are among the most important responsibilities of the United States Government, and unsecure or otherwise vulnerable AI systems are not acceptable,” the letter states.

The lawmakers have requested detailed information on several key areas by 13 August 2024. These include:

OpenAI’s commitment to dedicating 20% of its computing resources to AI safety research.

The company’s stance on non-disparagement agreements for current and former employees.

Procedures for employees to raise cybersecurity and safety concerns.

Security protocols to prevent theft of AI models, research, or intellectual property.

OpenAI’s adherence to its own Supplier Code of Conduct regarding non-retaliation policies and whistleblower channels.

Plans for independent expert testing and assessment of OpenAI’s systems pre-release.

Commitment to making future foundation models available to US Government agencies for pre-deployment testing.

Post-release monitoring practices and learnings from deployed models.

Plans for public release of retrospective impact assessments on deployed models.

Documentation on meeting voluntary safety and security commitments to the Biden-Harris administration.

The senators’ inquiry touches on recent controversies surrounding OpenAI, including reports of internal disputes over safety practices and alleged cybersecurity breaches. They specifically ask whether OpenAI will “commit to removing any other provisions from employment agreements that could be used to penalise employees who publicly raise concerns about company practices.”

This congressional scrutiny comes at a time of increasing debate over AI regulation and safety measures. The letter references the voluntary commitments made by leading AI companies to the White House last year, framing them as “an important step towards building this trust” in AI safety and security.

This morning five senate Democrats sent a letter to Sam Altman with twelve questions. This was question nine:

‘Will OpenAI commit to making its next foundation model available to U.S. Government agencies for pre-deployment testing, review, analysis, and assessment?’ pic.twitter.com/Iz1IsvDLuv

— Andrew Curran (@AndrewCurran_) July 23, 2024

Kamala Harris may be the next US president following the election later this year. At the AI Safety Summit in the UK last year, Harris said: “Let us be clear, there are additional threats that also demand our action. Threats that are currently causing harm, and which to many people also feel existential… when people around the world cannot discern fact from fiction because of a flood of AI-enabled myths and disinformation.”

Chelsea Alves, a consultant with UNMiss, commented: “Kamala Harris’ approach to AI and big tech regulation is both timely and critical as she steps into the presidential race. Her policies could set new standards for how we navigate the complexities of modern technology and individual privacy.”

The response from OpenAI to these inquiries could have significant implications for the future of AI governance and the relationship between tech companies and government oversight bodies.

(Photo by Darren Halstead)

See also: OpenResearch reveals potential impacts of universal basic income

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: ai, artificial intelligence, democrats, ethics, government, legal, Politics, probe, regulation, safety, senate, Society, usa

[govindhtech]

Apple Considers OpenAI ChatGPT Integration for iOS 18

OpenAI ChatGPT

Apple may unveil an AI-powered iOS 18 overhaul at WWDC in June. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurnman claims that Apple is close to partnering with OpenAI to integrate several AI technologies into its iPhones before iOS 18.

According to a Bloomberg story, Apple and OpenAI are settling on the conditions for iOS 18’s ChatGPT functionality. A portion of the new AI functionality that will be showcased at WWDC 2024 may be powered by data centres that have Apple CPUs installed.

Gurnman’s report stated that Apple and Google are still “ongoing” in their conversations regarding the use of the company’s Gemini chatbot on iPhones. These talks have not yet come to fruition.

According to a previous rumour, Apple is developing a large language model (LLM) that will run fully on the phone, using the processor of the device as its power source instead of the cloud. ‘On-device’ AI has several clear benefits, such as enhanced privacy, off-line operation or in locations with inadequate internet access, and faster response times.

On-device LLMs, however, are frequently less intelligent or potent since they lack the massive servers with billions of parameters that fuel the majority of commercial chatbots, like ChatGPT or Gemini. Apple is probably looking to Google or OpenAI to help with these issues.

On May 13, OpenAI will release new AI functionality The article was released not long after OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman announced in a live stream that the AI business will be releasing some significant enhancements for GPT-4 and ChatGPT on May 13. One of the things OpenAI is working on is a virtual voice assistant, akin to Google Assistant on Android or Siri on iOS, according to a recent story from The Information.

The occasion occurs just one day before Google’s I/O 2024 conference, where the business is anticipated to present several AI enhancements as well as its most recent Android 15 operating system.

Open up a world of advantages! Everything you need is right here, only a click away, including intelligent newsletters, real-time stock tracking, breaking headlines, and a personalised newsfeed.

The integration of OpenAI ChatGPT in iOS 18 could change the smartphone market. This hypothetical partnership could transform how iPhone users engage and develop Apple’s AI.

ChatGPT’s Rise and Apple’s AI Goals OpenAI ChatGPT is global. This large language model (LLM) can write human-like prose, translate languages, create art, and answer questions. Researchers and users love its conversational fluency and versatility.

Apple has been gradually developing its own AI capabilities, on the other hand. Although Siri, the virtual assistant on Apple products, has been continuously improved, it still lacks the intelligence of programmes like ChatGPT. This possible connection shows that Apple understands the need to improve the usability and interaction of its AI products for people.

Advantages of Including ChatGPT There are a lot of advantages that could arise from adding ChatGPT functionality to iOS 18. Here’s an idea of what consumers could encounter:

Improved Siri Imagine a Siri that can perform simple jobs, conduct natural conversations, answer complex questions, and create screenplays, emails, poems, and music. This would improve the user experience and make Siri more useful for daily tasks.

Improved Search The way people use their iPhones to seek for information may be completely changed by ChatGPT’s capacity to comprehend and reply to sophisticated questions. Imagine a search engine helper that is able to not only locate pertinent websites but also summarise content, synthesise information, and translate between languages instantly.

This will expedite the process of conducting research and greatly improve the speed and efficiency of locating the information you require.

Enhanced Features for Accessibility The text-to-speech and speech-to-text functions of ChatGPT may benefit disabled people. It could enable real-time conversation transcription, more accurate voice-controlled dictation, and photo alt text descriptions on iPhones.

Customised User Interface The capacity of ChatGPT to learn and adjust could allow it to customise the iPhone user experience.

Consider an AI assistant that choose news sources for you, recommends apps that are relevant, and even predicts your requirements based on previous conversations. With so much customisation possible, iPhones may become even more intuitive and user-friendly.

Obstacles and Things to Think About Although there are unquestionable potential advantages, integrating ChatGPT also comes with some difficulties that Apple will need to overcome:

Privacy Issues Strong AIs like ChatGPT pose data privacy risks. Apple has always prioritised user privacy, therefore ChatGPT integration must follow these rules. This could entail making sure user data collection and usage practices are transparent and utilising on-device processing for certain activities.

Demands on Computation A computationally demanding tool is ChatGPT. It will need to be heavily optimised in order to integrate it easily with iPhones and guarantee smooth operation without compromising battery life.

Here, Apple’s potent A-series CPUs and the possible application of Apple’s data centres for particular functions may be quite important.

Fairness and Bias It has been observed that large language models, such as ChatGPT, have biases that are representative of the training data.

Apple must make sure that the integrated AI provides recommendations and responses that are impartial and fair. This could entail training the model on a variety of datasets and putting robust filtering into practice.

The Future: An AI-Powered Era for iPhones An important advancement in Apple’s AI portfolio is the possible inclusion of ChatGPT in iOS 18.

There are obstacles to overcome, but there are also many possible advantages. This integration has the potential to completely change how people use their iPhones, offering personalised experiences, better accessibility features, and a more smarter Siri and search.

It’s crucial to remember that Apple hasn’t formally acknowledged the specifics of the iOS 18 release or the degree of ChatGPT integration. However, the discussions’ current state and Apple’s focus on AI make it likely.

Worldwide Developers Conference will return to Apple in June 2024. iOS 18’s features and capabilities, including ChatGPT integration. The impact of this integration on the mobile landscape will be widely monitored, as it has the potential to bring in a new age of AI-powered experiences on iPhones.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[esonetwork]

Popeye | Episode 390

New Post has been published on http://esonetwork.com/popeye/

Popeye | Episode 390

Mark Maddux joins Jim for a loving look back at a classic film of the fantastique from 1980 and Director Robert Altman – “Popeye,” starring Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Paul L. Smith, Paul Dooley, Donald Moffat, Ray Walston, Richard Libertini, Bill Irwin, Wesley Ivan Hunt, Peter Bray, Linda Hunt and Jack Mercer. Altman’s homage to the loveable cartoon character from the 1920’s takes us into the magical world of Sweet Water. Find out more on this special Holiday episode of MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies. 

[foresight-opinion-trading]

Elon Musk's Groundbreaking Optimus Gen 2 Robot That Can Dance And Boil Eggs

The world of technology witnessed a historic moment as Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a renowned figure in technological innovation, unveiled the Optimus Gen 2 robot. This unveiling marks a significant milestone in the journey of artificial intelligence and robotics, blending the realms of science fiction and reality. The Advent of Optimus Gen 2 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1734763060244386074 The unveiling of Optimus Gen 2 was not just a routine product launch but a spectacle that showcased the culmination of years of research and development in robotics. Through a compelling demo video, Musk took the audience on a journey from the initial versions of the humanoid robot introduced in 2021 and 2022 to this latest, highly sophisticated model. The Optimus Gen 2 stands as a testament to Tesla's dedication to pushing the boundaries of AI and robotics. Unlike its predecessors, which were primarily focused on rudimentary tasks and basic mobility, this new model demonstrates an array of complex activities. From boiling eggs to performing squats and dancing, the Optimus Gen 2 embodies a level of versatility and functional complexity that was previously unimaginable. A Fusion of Aesthetics and Functionality In a world where the design of technology often takes a back seat to functionality, the Optimus Gen 2 breaks the mold. It boasts a design that is not only functional but also stylish and modern. This approach underscores Tesla's commitment to creating robots that are not just efficient but also visually compelling. The sleek and humanoid appearance of the Optimus Gen 2 makes it more relatable and less intimidating, a critical aspect when integrating robots into everyday human environments. The Evolution of the Tesla Bot The journey of the Tesla Optimus, popularly known as the Tesla Bot, has been one of continuous evolution and innovation. Announced at Tesla's AI Day event in 2021, the project was an ambitious endeavor to develop a general-purpose robot capable of handling tasks that are mundane, dangerous, or repetitive for humans. In its initial stages, the Tesla Bot focused on demonstrating basic functionalities like walking and simple task performance. However, with the introduction of Optimus Gen 2, Tesla has taken a giant leap forward. This latest model not only walks and performs tasks but also engages in activities that require a higher level of physical coordination and cognitive processing. The Technological Marvel Behind Optimus Gen 2 At the heart of Optimus Gen 2's capabilities lies a sophisticated array of technologies. Powered by a custom Tesla computer chip, the robot operates on an end-to-end neural network, similar to the technology powering Tesla's electric cars. This allows the robot to process complex data and make decisions in real-time. The robot is also equipped with advanced tactile sensors on its fingers, enhancing its ability to interact with the environment and handle objects with precision. Its audio capabilities facilitate clear communication, while built-in cybersecurity features ensure safe operations. https://aieventx.com/what-is-q-elon-musk-unearths-the-mathematical-mystery-behind-sam-altmans-removal-from-openai/ The Battery that Powers the Future One of the most remarkable features of the Optimus Gen 2 is its battery. Housing a 2.3 kilowatt-hour battery pack, it significantly outperforms traditional robot batteries in terms of efficiency and longevity. This innovation promises extended operation times without the need for frequent recharging, a critical factor in making humanoid robots practical for everyday use. A Glimpse into Tomorrow The Optimus Gen 2 is not just a robot; it represents a glimpse into a future where humanoid robots could become an integral part of our lives. With its advanced capabilities, it opens up possibilities for applications in various fields, from assisting in homes to performing tasks in industrial settings. The Ethical and Social Implications As we stand at the brink of this new era in robotics, it is crucial to consider the ethical and social implications of such advancements. The integration of robots like Optimus Gen 2 into society raises questions about employment, privacy, and the ethical treatment of AI. It is imperative that as we advance technologically, we also develop a framework to address these challenges responsibly. Conclusion The unveiling of Tesla's Optimus Gen 2 by Elon Musk is a landmark event in the field of robotics and AI. It showcases the incredible potential of these technologies to transform our world. As we move forward, the Optimus Gen 2 serves as a beacon of innovation, challenging us to rethink our relationship with technology and its role in shaping our future. Read the full article