#preparing for ai future

[business77]

How to Reimagine Universities for the AI Era

I've been a faculty member at several different universities since 2009 and have lectured far longer than that. I care about these institutions. They're part of the American heritage, and in many cases, they're a gift to the world. But we live in fast-changing times, and universities do not change fast. I'm worried about our colleges. How do we reimagine universities in the Era of AI?

I have some ideas about this, and if you're currently associated with a college, you will hate them.

To begin with, my thesis is that in the AI Era, universities will fail (and are already failing) to prepare students for many careers. Change isn't just knocking; it's kicking down the door, raiding your fridge, and redecorating your living room. There has to be a radical reimagining of the university education that matches the radical disruption of our times.

First, let's get a few things off the table. If a student attends college for the social aspects or to spend a few years maturing, today's university system is fine. If a student attends for a purely academic pursuit without any thought of employment, they will thrive in the system we have today.

But I assume most students attend college to launch a career. And that's where the problems begin.

I'll break down the problems one by one before offering some solutions.

Organization

I've talked to many leading authorities in the tech space — people right in the middle of AI development in Silicon Valley. And I've asked them, "How would you prepare young people for a career with the amount of disruption occurring?" Without exception, the answer is, "I don't know."

This presents an existential problem because universities are generally organized by career choice: engineering, teaching, art, journalism, etc. But if nobody knows what future careers look like, how can you organize based on jobs that won't exist as they do today? Except forestry. That might be safe for awhile. But you get my point. Many job categories are rapidly evolving and fluid right now (especially marketing).

The future of education isn't about preparing for a specific job. It's about preparing for anything and everything. It's about teaching students to surf the waves of change rather than trying to build sandcastles on a beach that's shifting before our eyes.

Speed

A university professor friend of mine recently lamented that it has taken two years to get a new class approved. The glacial pace of change at universities is legendary and … stupid. The bureaucratic lunacy of universities is so well-known that I don't have to explain further why this culture is a death sentence in an AI world.

Economics

Universities are proud of their park-like campuses and ancient limestone buildings bolted to the center of the earth. While taking selfies in front of Old Main might enchant the alumni, the fact is, you can get a superior education today without that legacy overhead.

If you had to bet on disruptive innovation coming from somebody in a co-working space versus a person who has to spend part of their time fundraising for the Psychology Building renovation … well, it's not even a race.

The economics for students is even worse. The average four-year education in the U.S. is $160,000 (tuition only). Why does every major need to be completed in four years? Well, somebody has to pay for those limestone buildings. If you step back and look at it, it's a ridiculous model. No matter the major or career aspiration, it's four years. Huh?

Any new vision for universities must include significant cost and time reductions enabled by technology.

Faculty

The purpose of the university faculty has been to dispense information. However, universities are no longer the gatekeepers of information. When information is free and abundant, colleges have to reinvent themselves in the context of a new job to be done — eternal relevance. This is a radical idea, but in my estimation, it is the key to the future of colleges.

And the tenure system … don't get me started. Let's just say there is almost no incentive for tenured faculty to change and stay current. The stories of lazy, irrelevant faculty I could tell you are shocking, but I won't embarrass anyone.

At this point, I think all of my university friends could use a photo of a puppy.

[worlds-4th-best-dad]

Murmur: Bad things to say at a wedding! Ai: And now, we will sing Hymn no. 225, “My Milkshake Brings all the Boys to the Yard”! Karyuudo: My bride always wears white! Isn’t that right, Mary? Mary: *barks* Kosaka: This is my first gay wedding. Kosaka, to Mao: So, you must be the pretty one! Saika, to Yuki: To my new son-in-law, I would say this, you have released me! This monster is yours now! Kamado: People have said to me, “Why have you stopped being a bachelorette after so long?” And I say, well, look at him... Kamado, regarding Bacchus: He’s wealthy and he’s dying. Minene: It wouldn’t be a traditional Sakurami wedding without a speech from the matron of the bride and the groom.

[rachaeljurassic]

u

[claratyler]

this was all triggered by an AI telling me to double the 4th scale degree (ie the 5th in a chord that creates a TRITONE) in a vii° chord, and also told me invariably that unequal 5ths are wrong. :/ mmmmmmmmmm idk about that mr artificial stupidity. I felt there was something amiss there so i consulted The Tomes and truly, both sources i looked at say doubling the 3rd of the chord is best, while doubling the 5th may be possible but is best avoided. Also OF COURSE, there is no issue with unequal 5ths!!! what the hell is this, its not a case parallel 5ths, if one of them is diminished!!! One of the Tomes did say that the unequal 5ths were sometimes avoided when they create multiple pure consonants with the bass, which was like ooh okay. I get that. I can get that. But i cant get this AI saying that unequal 5ths are categorically wrong..but only in vii° chords??

[brewscoop]

Discover how the nation's #1 brewer, Anheuser-Busch, is championing American farmers with the US Farmed Certification! Learn how this initiative supports local agriculture, ensures high-quality ingredients, and boosts sustainability. Check out the full story on how these efforts are shaping the future of US agriculture.

[tricksfunn]

Gemini Takes Flight at Google I/O: Unveiling New Features and the Future of AI

Google I/O 2024 was an event bursting with innovation, and as a user, you might be wondering how these advancements will impact your daily interactions with technology. Let’s delve into the highlights and see how they translate into real-world benefits for you. Gemini 1.5 Pro and Flash: Tailored to Your Needs At the heart of the excitement were the latest additions to the Gemini family: Gemini…

[hardcandyfilmclub]

the phrase "this too is yuri" has done so much for us

[imrovementcompany]

Supercharge Your Manufacturing Job Search with AI and ChatGPT

With my extensive experience as an HR consultant in the manufacturing industry, I have witnessed the evolution of the job market over the years. However, nothing has been as transformative as AI. The combination of AI with the advanced language model, ChatGPT, has the potential to revolutionize the entire job-hunting process. AI is making job searching more efficient and less time-consuming for…

[rebeccathenaturalist]

ETA: I wrote up a guide on clues that a foraging book was written by AI here!

[Original Tweet source here.]

[RANT AHEAD]

Okay, yeah. This is a very, very, very bad idea. I understand that there is a certain flavor of techbro who has ABSOLUTELY zero problem with this because "AI is the future, bro", and we're supposed to be reading their articles on how to use AI for side hustles and all that.

I get that ID apps have played into people's tendency to want quick and easy answers to everything (I'm not totally opposed to apps, but please read about how an app does not a Master Naturalist make.) But nature identification is serious stuff, ESPECIALLY when you are trying to identify whether something is safe to eat, handle, etc. You have to be absolutely, completely, 100000% sure of your ID, and then you ALSO have to absolutely verify that it is safely handled and consumed by humans.

As a foraging instructor, I cannot emphasize this enough. My classes, which are intended for a general audience, are very heavy on identification skills for this very reason. I have had (a small subsection of) students complain that I wasn't just spending 2-3 hours listing off bunches of edible plants and fungi, and honestly? They can complain all they want. I am doing MY due diligence to make very sure that the people who take my classes are prepared to go out and start identifying species and then figure out their edibility or lack thereof.

Because it isn't enough to be able to say "Oh, that's a dandelion, and I think this might be an oyster mushroom." It's also not enough to say "Well, such-and-such app says this is Queen Anne's lace and not poison hemlock." You HAVE to have incredibly keen observational skills. You HAVE to be patient enough to take thorough observations and run them through multiple forms of verification (field guides, websites, apps, other foragers/naturalists) to make sure you have a rock-solid identification. And then you ALSO have to be willing to read through multiple sources (NOT just Wikipedia) to determine whether that species is safely consumed by humans, and if so if it needs to be prepared in a particular way or if there are inedible/toxic parts that need to be removed.

AND--this phenomenon of AI-generated crapola emphasizes the fact that in addition to all of the above, you HAVE to have critical thinking skills when it comes to assessing your sources. Just because something is printed on a page doesn't mean it's true. You need to look at the quality of the information being presented. You need to look at the author's sources. You need to compare what this person is saying to other books and resources out there, and make sure there's a consensus.

You also need to look at the author themselves and make absolutely sure they are a real person. Find their website. Find their bio. Find their social media. Find any other manners in which they interact with the world, ESPECIALLY outside of the internet. Contact them. Ask questions. Don't be a jerk about it, because we're just people, but do at least make sure that a book you're interested in buying is by a real person. I guarantee you those of us who are serious about teaching this stuff and who are internet-savvy are going to make it very easy to find who we are (within reason), what we're doing, and why.

Because the OP in that Tweet is absolutely right--people are going to get seriously ill or dead if they try using AI-generated field guides. We have such a wealth of information, both on paper/pixels and in the brains of active, experienced foragers, that we can easily learn from the mistakes of people in the past who got poisoned, and avoid their fate. But it does mean that you MUST have the will and ability to be impeccably thorough in your research--and when in doubt, throw it out.

My inbox is always open. I'm easier caught via email than here, but I will answer. You can always ask me stuff about foraging, about nature identification, etc. And if there's a foraging instructor/author/etc. with a website, chances are they're also going to be more than willing to answer questions. I am happy to direct you to online groups on Facebook and elsewhere where you have a whole slew of people to compare notes with. I want people's foraging to be SAFE and FUN. And AI-generated books aren't the way to make that happen.

[bengesko]

AI Sellout

Used an email mask to read the whole article, pasting it below the cut.

Quick important points:

The tweet content is a list of things that are currently included, but were not SUPPOSED TO BE, and engineers are working to scrub it.

Automattic is supposedly going to add an opt out option.

Automattic did not respond to a question from 404 Media about whether it could guarantee that people who opt out will have their data deleted retroactively.

Tumblr and Wordpress are preparing to sell user data to Midjourney and OpenAI, according to a source with internal knowledge about the deals and internal documentation referring to the deals. 

The exact types of data from each platform going to each company are not spelled out in documentation we’ve reviewed, but internal communications reviewed by 404 Media make clear that deals between Automattic, the platforms’ parent company, and OpenAI and Midjourney are imminent.

The internal documentation details a messy and controversial process within Tumblr itself. One internal post made by Cyle Gage, a product manager at Tumblr, states that a query made to prepare data for OpenAI and Midjourney compiled a huge number of user posts that it wasn’t supposed to. It is not clear from Gage’s post whether this data has already been sent to OpenAI and Midjourney, or whether Gage was detailing a process for scrubbing the data before it was to be sent. 

Gage wrote:

“the way the data was queried for the initial data dump to Midjourney/OpenAI means we compiled a list of all tumblr’s public post content between 2014 and 2023, but also unfortunately it included, and should not have included:

private posts on public blogs

posts on deleted or suspended blogs

unanswered asks (normally these are not public until they’re answered)

private answers (these only show up to the receiver and are not public)

posts that are marked ‘explicit’ / NSFW / ‘mature’ by our more modern standards (this may not be a big deal, I don’t know)

content from premium partner blogs (special brand blogs like Apple’s former music blog, for example, who spent money with us on an ad campaign) that may have creative that doesn’t belong to us, and we don’t have the rights to share with this-parties; this one is kinda unknown to me, what deals are in place historically and what they should prevent us from doing.”

Gage’s post makes clear that engineers are working on compiling a list of post IDs that should not have been included, and that password-protected posts, DMs, and media flagged as CSAM and other community guidelines violations were not included.

Automattic plans to launch a new setting on Wednesday that will allow users to opt-out of data sharing with third parties, including AI companies, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and internal documents. A new FAQ section we reviewed is titled “What happens when you opt out?” states that “If you opt out from the start, we will block crawlers from accessing your content by adding your site on a disallowed list. If you change your mind later, we also plan to update any partners about people who newly opt-out and ask that their content be removed from past sources and future training.” 

404 Media has asked Automattic how it accidentally compiled data that it shouldn’t share, and whether any of that content was shared with OpenAI, but did not immediately hear back from the company. 404 Media asked Automattic about an imminent deal with Midjourney last week but did not hear back then, either.

Another internal document shows that, on February 23, an employee asked in a staff-only thread, “Do we have assurances that if a user opts out of their data being shared with third parties that our existing data partners will be notified of such a change and remove their data?”

Andrew Spittle, Automattic’s head of AI replied: “We will notify existing partners on a regular basis about anyone who's opted out since the last time we provided a list. I want this to be an ongoing process where we regularly advocate for past content to be excluded based on current preferences. We will ask that content be deleted and removed from any future training runs. I believe partners will honor this based on our conversations with them to this point. I don't think they gain much overall by retaining it.” Automattic did not respond to a question from 404 Media about whether it could guarantee that people who opt out will have their data deleted retroactively.

News about a deal between Tumblr and Midjourney has been rumored and speculated about on Tumblr for the last week. Someone claiming to be a former Tumblr employee announced in a Tumblr blog post that the platform was working on a deal with Midjourney, and the rumor made it onto Blind, an app for verified employees of companies to anonymously discuss their jobs. 404 Media has seen the Blind posts, in which what seems like an Automattic employee says, “I'm not sure why some of you are getting worked up or worried about this. It's totally legal, and sharing it publicly is perfectly fine since it's right there in the terms & conditions. So, go ahead and spread the word as much as you can with your friends and tech journalists, it's totally fine.”

Separately, 404 Media viewed a public, now-deleted post by Gage, the product manager, where he said that he was deleting all of his images off of Tumblr, and would be putting them on his personal website. A still-live post says, “i've deleted my photography from tumblr and will be moving it slowly but surely over to cylegage.com, which i'm building into a photography portfolio that i can control end-to-end.” At one point last week, his personal website had a specific note stating that he did not consent to AI scraping of his images. Gage’s original post has been deleted, and his website is now a blank page that just reads “Cyle.” Gage did not respond to a request for comment from 404 Media. 

Several online platforms have made similar deals with AI companies recently, including Reddit, which entered into an AI content licensing deal with Google and said in its SEC filing last week that it’s “in the early stages of monetizing [its] user base” by training AI on users’ posts. Last year, Shutterstock signed a six year deal with OpenAI to provide training data.

OpenAI and Midjourney did not respond to requests for comment. 

[eiralunaire]

Damian, after returning from a solo mission to Titan Tower, learns that his partner Reader was sent on a mission to Spain without informing him.

Damian Wayne returned to Titan Tower after a solitary mission, his mind occupied with the reports he had to deliver and the strategies he was already planning for future operations. Although he had managed to eliminate those responsible for a trafficking ring in Gotham, he felt that something was not right. There had been a bad feeling in the air since he left the city.

As he landed on the roof of Titan Tower, the engines of the customized jet shut down with a high-pitched whistle. The sound of the night was dense, an uncomfortable silence. As soon as he got off the jet, Damian activated the communicator he wore on his wrist, looking for information from his team and, above all, from Reader. Normally, she was the one who made sure to greet him as soon as he arrived, sometimes with a smile or some witty quip, but on this occasion there was no sign of her.

The lights of the tower shone through the large windows that surrounded the main room. There was no sign of the other Titans. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.

As he entered, he was greeted by the Tower’s AI.

“Welcome, Damian Wayne,” he said in his usual monotone.

Damian moved with purposeful steps, his eyes searching the monitors for any hint of activity. He began typing, looking for recent mission and assignment reports. One of the files on the screen caught his attention: **Reader – International Mission – Spain**.

His jaw tightened as he saw the location. **Spain. Why didn’t he know about this?** He typed faster, accessing the mission details.

**Subject: Support in covert operations**

**Location: Barcelona, ​​Spain**

**Operation in progress: Investigation and neutralization of developing metahuman threat.**

The feeling in his stomach intensified. Damian frowned as he read more details. The team had been sent without his knowledge, and it bothered him deeply. He always made sure Reader was safe. Her going on an international mission while he wasn't present wasn't something he liked, nor would he allow if he'd known about it.

He activated the Titans' communicator, looking to contact whoever was available, but there was no immediate response. Finally, a familiar voice appeared.

"Damian, is everything okay?" It was Nightwing, who seemed to be in the middle of another mission.

"Why was Reader sent to Spain?" Damian asked, his tone direct and cutting.

"I figured... you already heard." Nightwing paused, perhaps considering how to approach the situation. "It was a last-minute decision. The team in Europe needed urgent support and she volunteered. You know she's one of the best at covert operations."

"That's no excuse for not informing me," Damian snapped, his patience already at its limit. "I should have known."

Nightwing sighed on the other end of the line.

“I understand your frustration, but you were on a critical mission and a quick response was needed. There was no time to discuss it with you.”

Damian clenched his fists. He couldn’t help but feel like information had been deliberately withheld from him. Reader was skilled, he knew that better than anyone, but that didn’t lessen his concern for her. The idea that she was on the other side of the ocean, facing who knows what kind of threat, unsettled him more than he was willing to admit.

“Do you know what the current situation is?” he asked, his fingers moving quickly over the keyboards, tracking down any updates on the mission.

“The latest report indicates that they’re close to neutralizing the threat, but they’ve had complications. Some of the local forces weren’t prepared to deal with a metahuman of that magnitude.”

“How many are with her?” Damian insisted, trying to remain calm.

“The European team is supporting her, as well as some JLA agents.” Reader is leading the operation in the field, but communications have been intermittent due to the technological interference the target has been causing.

Damian cursed under his breath. He couldn’t stand the thought of being so far away and not being able to make sure everything was under control. **Reader is capable. Reader is strong.** But that didn’t mitigate the fear.

“I’m going to Spain,” he said, determined.

“Damian, listen…” Nightwing tried to intervene. “If you go now, you could put the mission at risk. Trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

“I’m not asking for your approval,” he replied coldly. “Just informing you.”

He ended the communication before Nightwing could respond. He was upset, but more than that, he was uneasy. He and Reader didn’t just share a personal relationship; there was a deeper connection between them, something he couldn’t ignore. He wouldn’t leave her alone in hostile territory, not while he had the means to reach her.

Quickly, he headed to the Tower's hangar. His jet was already ready for another mission, so he wasted no time getting on. Although he knew it could take a few hours to get there, he wouldn't let that time lapse weaken him. He felt responsible for her safety, and it wasn't just because of his role as a leader. Reader had accomplished what few people in his life could: break the barriers he had erected since he was a child.

As the jet took off, Damian connected to the international communication channels, trying to get any signal from Spain. However, as Nightwing had mentioned, the interference made it impossible. There was nothing but silence.

Damian's thoughts flew back to the first time he met her, how, from the beginning, something about her had attracted him. Her intelligence, her ability to stand firm in any situation, her constant willingness to help others. She was a person who knew how to handle herself in risky situations, and she often faced them without hesitation. And yet, something about this mission made him uneasy.

Time seemed to drag as he crossed the Atlantic. The constant roar of the jet's engines was the only sound that accompanied him. Damian checked and re-checked every detail of the mission he had been able to obtain. Barcelona was a complicated city for this type of operation. Its dense infrastructure and narrow streets could become a dangerous battlefield, especially if they were dealing with an unpredictable metahuman.

Finally, the jet began to descend on the outskirts of the city. Night was falling over Barcelona, ​​the city lights flickering in the distance like a million little fires. Damian adjusted his equipment, preparing for landing. Time was of the essence. He had no further details of the mission, but he didn't need them. His only priority was to find Reader and make sure he was safe.

As soon as he set foot on the ground, he activated the tracker he had installed on his equipment before leaving. It was a discreet device used by the Titans to keep track of each other during missions. However, when he tried to locate Reader, the device showed nothing.

**Interference. Damn.**

Damian moved nimbly through the streets, staying in the shadows as he went. He used his contacts in the city to obtain more information. According to local reports, the riots had reached a fever pitch in the Raval neighborhood. A confrontation between a covert operations group and a being with metahuman abilities had caused chaos.

With that information in mind, he quickly headed towards the location. The streets were empty, the lights flickered, and the air was charged with a strange electricity. Damian felt that every second was vital. Finally, he reached the cordoned off area. From a tall building, he observed what was happening next.

The confrontation was taking place right in one of the main squares. In the distance, he could make out the operational team fighting to keep at bay a metahuman who seemed to control electrical energy on a large scale. Lightning crackled everywhere, lighting up the night with blue flashes.

And there, in the middle of the chaos, was Reader.

She moved with the grace of someone who had trained hard for this kind of situation. Her focus was absolute, but Damian could see the exhaustion on her face. She was using her skills, but the enemy was formidable, more so than anyone had anticipated.

Without wasting any time, Damian leapt onto the battlefield. Within seconds, he was already at Reader’s side, blocking one of the attacks headed her way.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, surprised but relieved to see him.

“I wasn’t going to leave you alone in this,” he replied, his eyes fixed on the enemy as he prepared his next move. “We’re going to finish this together.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

I'm back after being away for a week, ah. now I need ideas to make more scenarios.

[jester089]

I have a request for the tdac characters to fall in love with child reader(platonically) and basically be attached to them like their younger sibling figure, and now imagine the reader starts to slowly get insane in some way and abstracts, and they just watch in horror as they see their practically younger sibling abstract and taken away to the black hole(I forgot what its called), and they get out of character, I need some angst and out of character mfs

So young

Now I have done multiple things on this type of idea so it's probs gonna be really similar to some of my past works. I'll still do my best though. For future reference in requesting please specify if you want a oneshot or headcannons. I did a little of both for this one but it was tiring, so please specify.

TADC Crew x Child Reader Who Abstracts

You were by far the youngest in the Digital Circus. Out of everyone you actually enjoyed it there, it was colorful, safe, had plenty of things to do. And had people who actually cared about you. It was a place of respite for you after you're awful family. Well awful isn't the right word they weren't abusive or anything. Just neglectful. Caine was a lot like a weird uncle to you. Always had some kind of gift for you when he saw you and despite what he says you know he cares about you. You were just about the only person who genuinely enjoyed his little adventures and jokes so he ended up getting kind of attached to you. As much as an AI could at least.

Gangle more often then not wasn't around you. She didn't avoid you or anything but she didn't go out of her way to be around you. One time when her mask broke and you saw her crying you went to Caine to ask if she was ok. He explained as best he could to you that she isn't really sad, just her mask broke. So you asked Caine to help you fix it. A few hours later you're at Gangle's door with a fixed mask in a present box. Once she saw that you of all people, the youngest one here went out of your way to help her she started to warm up to you.

Zooble most definitely didn't enjoy being around you Lies. She always acted like you annoyed her and she wanted to be anywhere else. But the few times you two have been alone she's surprisingly nice. She taught you how to make a paper hat one time then for the next few weeks you were never seen without one on.

Kinger took on a much more loving approach with you. He saw you as young and in danger and with no one to guide you. And if you were just left alone Jax would probably swoop in like a vulture and corrupt you. So he half took you in and did his best to raise you and teach you. It was hard as their isn't anything for learning in the circus but he did his best. It annoys him to no end when he hears a censored word come from you only to learn that Zooble's been teaching you swears behind his back.

Ragatha did her best with Kinger to raise you so you had some kind of future ahead of yourself. Despite the fact that they no one ages they still want you to be prepared. She took on a very "over protective older sister" kind of way with you. You're young, weak, and gullible so she's constantly worrying about you. Enough for her to set up a bed for you in her room. Plus side is she'll read you bedtime stories.

Jax's sole goal since he found out Kinger and Ragatha were teaching you and keeping you away from him is to taint you. Whenever you're left alone he kind of just appears and offers you something fun to do with him so you'll follow him. He has fed so many lies to your malleable young brain. Like "Hey kid. Did'ja know that Ragatha loves centipedes? I actually caught one earlier today. Why don'cha give it to er?" so naturally you did. You got grounded for that. Pomni is the one you feel closest too. You're innocent and kind nature help her keep calm(er). And her being around your height makes you feel more comfortable around her so you're always seen dragging her around to do something silly. You help her look for the exit, kind of. Your different way of seeing the world has helped her find many things out though. Did you know that their's a secret building at the bottom of the the digital lake? She only found it cause you mentioned said something about Atlantis while swimming then proceeded to dive under the water scaring her.

All of them started to get worried when your usual energetic and optimistic self started to act tired, all the time. Even someone as at your age who seems to be the perfect fit isn't immune to the problems the circus has it seems. When you started to get depressed it freaked Ragatha out causing her to be more strict with you because she didn't want to see you hurt. That only made it worse though. None of them take you abstracting well. Even Jax, despite being a jerk he ended up getting kind of attached to you. Cause no matter how mean he was you were always nice to him. "Wonder if their still causing chaos in the afterlife..." Caine being the ring master was always trying to cheer everyone up and get their mind off you but it never really worked. It slightly affected him too, not because he was attached to you. But because you were so young... "Couldn't even keep a kid alive..." Ragatha after losing you would either lock herself in her room staring at your old bed trying to decide on if she should or shouldn't take it down. It the only thing she has left to remember you by. You had your whole life ahead of you. But she ended up not being able to help. Just like with all those others... "Is it even worth the effort at this point. Am I even helping..." Kinger had already lost Queenie his S/O... Now you, the one he was actually starting to see as his kid. That is what pushed him over the deep end. You two his family, both abstracted. At least he'll get too see you two again... "I'll be there soon love, just have to grab Y/N's books..."

(Idk if this is good or at all what you wanted. But I tried. Hope you enjoyed it. Also if you all could please check my request rules before requesting. It would make my life much easier. Thanks. Also I kinda wanna re-write this without the abstraction part.)

xoxo, Jester

[blorbosinmyheadcentral]

Hey Val!

So (if you've seen it) what do you think of episode 2?

Here's some thoughts!

GANGLE

When will Gangle know happiness... 

KINGER

Kinger was adorable as always. I like how the others can rely on him when they're feeling emotionally vulnerable. That scene with Ragatha and her self-doubt, and how Kinger reassures her? I'm glad he has these moments of clarity. Old man even tries to help Pomni, even if he's bad at it. He's so well intentioned. <3

JAX

Jax is a terrible person. He was already very bad before, but somehow got worse. No care for his companions (Pomni and Gangle mostly), no care for the NPCs (he was very eager to see them die horribly). There's some indication Jax might have cared about Kaufmo, but overall, his attitude is so dissonant. It's hard to understand what's really going on inside his head.

RAGATHA

I like that Ragatha didn't hold any grudges over Pomni abandoning her in episode 1. Ragatha is just so sweet. Constantly worrying for Pomni's well being, being considerate enough to try to cheer up Jax of all people. She makes a huge difference in this group, like a glue that keeps everyone together.

GUMMIGOO

LOVED Gummigoo. Yeah I wasn't prepared for him. I didn't know what to expect of him (he looked like a serious bad guy type?), but what we got was so good. Loves his two gummy gator friends (wants to preserve their minds from the weight of self-awareness). His connection to Pomni, the way they could relate, it was all believable and palpable. Nice guy.

POMNI

Pomni herself was my favorite. Compassionate, empathetic, expressing her thoughts calmly and sincerely. Determined, inventive - trying to find ways to get herself and Gummigoo out of that place. 

I think the fact that she spent most of these two episodes physically separated from everyone else was no coincidence. Pomni was disconnected from them. The dream sequence at the beginning? A reflection of her own doubts and fears. That she's nothing, or that no one in the circus would care if she was gone. So she, either intentionally or by happenstance, distanced herself. 

I'm super happy that the episode ended on a hopeful note. Pomni found that her companions would care for her and remember her, and so it turned her views on her head. She's not alone. She has people that she can rely on.....

KAUFMO

(The Kaufmo funeral was very touching too, especially with Zooble organizing it. I've seen jokes that no one cared much that he died in episode 1, so seeing otherwise was pretty cool.)

FANDOM

I hold no ill will against Caine, and this is coming from someone who really really liked Gummygoo (literally screamed a big NOOO when he poofed). It's a little concerning how feral people are getting about Caine.

CAINE

Speaking of Caine, I need understanding between them, I need it SO bad. He keeps making these little decisions that impact the human characters. Especially Pomni. And he's not even aware of how much it hurts them, or that it's harmful at all!!

The way some of them are so dismissive (Zooble waiting for him to go away), annoyed, or only see Caine as a bot that fixes things when everything goes wrong... it makes me think they've tried to reason with him before, and it didn't work, so now they treat him like the machine he is to them.

As of now, Pomni understands him as much as everyone else does. She's frustrated, she's livid, and she has every reason to want to punch his teeth in. But after episode 2???? Considering how sympathetic Pomni was with Gummigoo, an NPC/AI himself???? I have a little hope that Pomni can actually get through to Caine in the future.

[pharmdup]

So I googled how much does one cup of flour weigh, and learned it’s 120 grams. But wait, I need 4 cups of flour, and because I’m a pharmacist, I like to double-check the math in my head, so I googled how much do 4 cups of flour weigh? And Google AI said 1,200 grams.

Google AI owes my future students an apology because from now on I’m only accepting math that I’ve seen them do with an analog calculator.

Nobody preparing my IV drugs had better be using an AI, please god.