twojackals

[twojackals]

Apparently, people are writing college papers with AI. Me, I just wanted to solve a puzzle. So let's take a moment to compare two AI responses to a very simple question: "What's a 5-letter salad green in the mustard family?" Some of you may immediately recognize this, if you are a bit obsessed with doing those darn LinkedIn puzzles like I am, but as an avid avoider-of-vegetables, I simply couldn't come up with anything, and google searches were terribly unhelpful. So I decided to give AI a chance. I mean, the question seems straightforward, right? Lettuce not overthink it. (I'd say sorry, but I'm definitely not sorry).

First up: Gemini, coming in with the confidence of a seasoned politician. It boldly declares that the answer is KALE, which would be great if "kale" had five letters. (It doesn't. It has four. This isn't a debate.) And Gemini proceeds to double-down on this answer with all-caps intensity and even additional context, like it's filibustering its own logic. Bold. Wrong. Boldly wrong. Maybe AI isn't suited for everything, but it has already entered the playing field with the vigor and general accuracy of an election campaign, so I guess there's that. Meanwhile, there's ChatGPT, which takes us on a bizarre little head-space journey. It states “A 5-letter green in the mustard family is arugula!" which at first glance looks just as bad if not worse than Gemini, except in a plot twist, immediately corrects itself like a magician revealing the trick halfway through the act. "Oh ho ho! Just kidding. The correct 5-letter answer is cress." or, "I meant to be wrong. See? It's part of my charm!" (But y'all, what even is cress, honestly...) So, am I being gaslit by AI? Because suddenly I was second-guessing how many letters were really in kale! I sat there like a 5 year old, counting on my fingers, though I think I looked more like a raccoon doing math in a garbage can. K-A-L-E ... four. Still four. Has always been four. Meanwhile, Gemini is confidently bursting through the curtains shouting "FIVE!", and ChatGPT is stage-whispering "...wait, no, it's cress. CRESS. You didn't see that first part." These aren't the droids I was looking for.

Wait, wasn't there a Star Trek episode about this? I'm pretty sure there are still only four lights. I feel Picard's plight all of a sudden. I know how he suffers. I mean, aside from being stripped and tortured in a Cardassian cell just for him... but, the other thing. With the lights. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm solving a crossword or being pranked by Skynet's unpaid interns. Meanwhile, I just wanted to solve a puzzle, but ended up questioning salad, the universe, and everything. I can't imagine trying to base my education on this. Maybe don't do that either way, though.

[twojackals]

This isn't justice.

Wait... wait.

Didn't we just say 3 days ago we were giving "2 weeks" for negotiations?

What the fuck happened to that?

What the fuck is this?

What the fuck is anyone doing anymore?

Y'all, IRAN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. We are punishing thought crimes, or worse: the THOUGHT of thought crimes, that we think they could, at some point in the future, have a thought, to do a bad thing, with technology they don't even have yet. The possibility Iran might someday think about doing something with tech they don't even have yet.

That's wild.

That's criminal.

Is the "imminent threat" in the room with us, Mr. President?

Look: I am not saying Iran doesn't have problems (doesn't every country? *coughs*Murica*coughs*). I am saying however that we cannot punish the 'possibility of a possibility of possibility' because that makes no fucking sense.

It's not. even. your. war. America.

[twojackals]

Let's do this! Happy Pride 2025!

[twojackals]

[twojackals]

Beauty is God

I quote a lot from Conference of the Books (The Search for Beauty in Islam) by Khaled Abou El Fadl, and today I explained to someone else who is thinking of converting why I consider this an essential read for anyone coming to Islam (or frankly anyone who is already here as well).

The reason may sound harsh, but it is both honest, and important.

After you convert, or maybe it is already true, you are going to find yourself in a world of very outspoken, bad actors. There are so many bad Islamic actors out there that some days I think they outnumber the good ones. Some of the things I hear loud, outspoken voices say in the 'popular Muslim' streams are absolutely wild, and it is very easy to get caught up in the false religion of 'what is popular amongst man' vs. the true religion of God.

Conference of the Books was integral to helping center me. It helped me overcome a lot of the struggles I had coming to Islam in the first place 15 years ago, and it helped bring me back to Islam when I wandered, more than any other book aside from the Qur'an itself.

At its core, it is literally a book about understanding the search for God is synonymous with the search for beauty (and vice versa), and what is ugly (and you will encounter a lot of ugly, apologies in advance) is not God. And we all need to remember this so much.

It's one of the main books that keeps me grounded in the modern world of Islam, and I hope it can be cherished by others as well.

[twojackals]

Reality

We suffer confusion and so we seek the libations of comfort. Befuddled with ignorance, we crave the intemperance of self-indulgence. In our drunkenness we imagine that we overcame our fears. But every moment of regained sobriety reminds us and terrifies us, and so we dwell further and further into the shelters of ignorance. Until the time comes when the stench of rotted minds mingles with the sweat of addictive fear. Then we discover that what we thought were comforting shelters have become impenetrable dungeons tethering us to ignoble triviality.

~ Conference of the Books (The Search for Beauty in Islam)

[twojackals]

Anubis, the god of the dead and embalming, is represented as a jackal-like animal on this linen burial shroud fragment.

Ptolemaic Period or Roman Period. Now in the Glencairn Museum. E1115

[twojackals]

Genuine question: if you don't consider yourself pro- or anti-AI, how do you feel about the environmental effects of AI?

I don't think I really have a position on it to be honest. We're still so relatively early in the whole "AI" scheme of things, and I do not have enough balanced information from good sources as of yet.

Things like energy consumption, carbon footprints, e-waste, infrastructure and so on are still issues with lots of industries, not just AI-related. So to assign any value to the AI-environmental-impact in specific this early on (and while it has been around for longer than we think, it is still -- relatively thinking -- still early) would probably involve mostly projections.

But most certainly I'm fine to admit I simply haven't done enough research to speak on the topic. Considering I also just admitted in the same post to buying from Amazon and Walmart, not exactly the paradigms of environmentalism, I suppose that's not entirely shocking.

I'm not going to call myself much of an activist. I'm really just trying to survive and get out of bed every day, which some days is nearly too difficult for me. I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other for now and see where that goes.

Our Robot Overlords

I lack any artistic talent, which frustrates me deeply. Despite managing a few rudimentary creations over time, the vast, beautiful ideas in my mind elude proper expression on paper or in Photoshop, intensifying my discontent.

This inability triggers profound feelings of anxiety, depression, and anger, as sometimes words alone fail to convey my thoughts. Consequently, when crafting a blog post, I turn to AI to generate relevant and unique images, aligning with my vision. Although I lack artistic prowess, AI art enables me to articulate the creative concepts swirling in my mind, easing the weight of negative emotions stemming from traditional creative limitations.

For me it is a tool that soothes my brain, and it has an important position in my life as a result.

Someone pointed out that they haven't heard many complaints from artists regarding individuals creating AI art for personal use. Instead, the primary concern seems to be about those who falsely claim ownership or attempt to profit from AI-generated creations.

While I'm uncertain if my personal experience aligns with this observation (as it seems many are quick to criticize anyone dabbling in AI), I do agree with the sentiment. Disputing ownership or seeking financial gain from AI art, which I would never do, goes against my principles.

I wouldn't classify myself as either "pro-AI" or "anti-AI," considering my use of it. I suppose I'm more AI-neutral, although dissenters often categorize anyone not adhering to their specific viewpoint.

I'm not endorsing the questionable origins of AI art source material, as there are significant ethical concerns that must be addressed. Unfortunately, I don't have the solutions readily available.

Similar to my approach to shopping and dining, where I often prioritize my mental health challenges and disabilities over socio-political considerations due to the prevalent flaws in most companies at the end of the day, I utilize tools like AI to cope with those disabilities and improve my daily life.

I don't feel guilty about this.

I don't think I need to, either.

[twojackals]

Our Robot Overlords

I lack any artistic talent, which frustrates me deeply. Despite managing a few rudimentary creations over time, the vast, beautiful ideas in my mind elude proper expression on paper or in Photoshop, intensifying my discontent.

This inability triggers profound feelings of anxiety, depression, and anger, as sometimes words alone fail to convey my thoughts. Consequently, when crafting a blog post, I turn to AI to generate relevant and unique images, aligning with my vision. Although I lack artistic prowess, AI art enables me to articulate the creative concepts swirling in my mind, easing the weight of negative emotions stemming from traditional creative limitations.

For me it is a tool that soothes my brain, and it has an important position in my life as a result.

Someone pointed out that they haven't heard many complaints from artists regarding individuals creating AI art for personal use. Instead, the primary concern seems to be about those who falsely claim ownership or attempt to profit from AI-generated creations.

While I'm uncertain if my personal experience aligns with this observation (as it seems many are quick to criticize anyone dabbling in AI), I do agree with the sentiment. Disputing ownership or seeking financial gain from AI art, which I would never do, goes against my principles.

I wouldn't classify myself as either "pro-AI" or "anti-AI," considering my use of it. I suppose I'm more AI-neutral, although dissenters often categorize anyone not adhering to their specific viewpoint.

I'm not endorsing the questionable origins of AI art source material, as there are significant ethical concerns that must be addressed. Unfortunately, I don't have the solutions readily available.

Similar to my approach to shopping and dining, where I often prioritize my mental health challenges and disabilities over socio-political considerations due to the prevalent flaws in most companies at the end of the day, I utilize tools like AI to cope with those disabilities and improve my daily life.

I don't feel guilty about this.

I don't think I need to, either.

[twojackals]

Happy Pride

Wishing everyone a glorious and safe Pride season!

[twojackals]

[twojackals]

Ah yes, Pride Month supplies arriving before June

[twojackals]

"How do I get started?"

"How do I get started with [x-Deity]"?

Let's say you want to invite family or friends over for a get-together. What are the average steps you would go through to make this happen?

First, you'll want to actually invite the people over. They don't know they should be there if you don't extend to them the offer, after all.

Next, you'll probably get your house ready, which may involve various aspects of cleaning or setting the scene.

You'll most likely clean yourself up a bit, clean clothes for example.

You'll be welcoming your guests into your home and offering some level of refreshment, perhaps some entertainment.

You'll be having conversations, asking them about their lives, and answering questions about your own.

Finally, when your gathering has concluded, you'll be greeting everyone on the way out, thanking them for getting together, promising to do it again soon.

Well, I have great news for you. You now have all of the instructions you need to get started with the majority of Deities!

I think sometimes people are a bit confused that there must be a separate, super-secret, uber-magical formula to connecting with a Deity, or with one Deity vs. any other Deity. While all the Gods have different preferences and personalities, the basics are always going to be roughly the same:

Get your space ready

Get yourself ready

Send the invitation (ask the God(s) to join you)

Extend hospitality (offerings, prayer/praise, music, candles, incense, etc.)

Have a conversation: talk about your life, your goals, your needs, your past, your future, anything you want to talk about is on the table. But don't forget to listen as well.

Thank Everyone for their presence, assistance, and wisdom.

Remember while some tools and offerings might be common or seem 'standard' for certain practices, your ritual space doesn’t have to be the same as anyone else’s, nor does it have to be complicated or elaborate.

If it’s just you, an invitation, and a prayer? It’s enough. 

You are enough.

[twojackals]

Fantasy authors stop using Irish/Gaeilge, Scots Gaelic/Gàidhlig and Welsh/Cymraeg in your books if you're going to miserably mispronounce them and then say "well this is just MY pronunciation of it!" when you're called out. That's not how that works. Gaeilge, Scots Gaelic and Welsh are three languages that were dangerously teetering on becoming "dead languages" because English occupation intentionally crippled them to suppress the chances of rebellion in three countries they colonized. Native languages that were banned and beaten out of people. I hate this trend, it's tacky. If you're going to use our languages to sound whimsical, learn how to pronounce them correctly, it's the absolute bare minimum. The Celtic languages aren't some little fun trendy devices to bolster and make your books more interesting.

Our languages do sound great in fantasy novels. They're beautiful and frankly magical when spoken fluently, and it's incredibly sad that although they are recovering, they still have an incredibly long way to go.

[twojackals]

Stephanie Law, Sacred Things, watercolor and gold leaf, 2023, 7.5 × 15.25 inches.

[twojackals]

Smol and terrifying

I don't know if it's something about my generation, but I have a lot of trouble joining new Discord servers, particularly if they only have a handful of people -- no matter how interested I am in the subjectmatter.

It's one reason I still live my entire life on Facebook for the most part, or blogs, but Discord is another beast entirely. Just walking through the door, it's like all eyes are on you as most servers happily announce your arrival (ugh I hate it). Then you have to wonder, particularly when you're in a niche environment: How many of these people could I already know? Are my haters already here? What are the expectations, as a new person, in growing this environment? Am I talking too much? Too little? Too weird? That last one is a big thing for me, because I am by definition, weird AF. And I own that.

I don't know if the generations younger than I are simply better suited to walking into rooms full of rando strangers and being fine with that, but it's never been my strong suit, perhaps less based on my birth year and more based on the fact that I am autistic, that I have Borderline Personality Disorder, or that I am utterly and hopelessly an introvert -- at least, until you show even a smidge of shared interest, after which I will info-dump a thousand pounds of knowledge. Immediately. Like right away.

Like right now.

I'm OK to join 'large' Discord servers where there are a plethora of members and I can sort of sneak in the back without really being noticed, take stock of how the server works, what the vibe is, and then, if I'm ready, I can contribute.

But smol servers terrify me.

Yet I want to be there.

But I can't.

Perhaps admitting it is the first step.

[twojackals]

Wepwawet, wep em wawet

Strange, the way it felt like home–to wander through the dark, alone.