People on X are saying Grok can be used to easily digest/upload the mega-omnibus bills, and provide an easy to read summary without all the legalese and emotional nonsense. Suddenly I feel slightly less apprehensive about AI…
It reminds me of one of the few scenes I remember from “Silent Running.” It was 50 years ago, and it’s quite possible I’m remembering a scene that may not actually have been there. Getting old sucks in several ways.
Anyway, Bruce Dern was in his spaceship watching some televised political debate with his little robot friends, and a voiceover on the TV was informing the viewers in real time every time any of the participants made invalid claims, misstated statistics, or otherwise shaded or inverted the truth. It was utopia — *if you trusted the voice.*
And therein lies the gig. If you can trust the voice. How many times does it source yellow journalism. Jaded AI is jaded, no matter the subject. It’s like taking advice from a safety officer who secretly despises you and has no moral constraints.
December 21, 2024 at 8:02 am
MasterDiver
There was a TVmovie/pilot back in the 70s called “Earth-II” where a space station declares its independence. I remember a televised debate where the screen would flash subtext about statements like “Not based on fact”, “Emotional intent”, and others.
I appreciate the reference! I found the scene (I’ll try to post the URL immediately following this, but I think it’s causing me to be censored) and it’s similar to what I remember, but the fact checking I remember was a soft female voice, not closed captions. Anyway, clearly the same idea!
December 21, 2024 at 10:19 am
Halley
I asked Grok some simple Heinlein questions and it answered surprisingly incorrectly. Told it to contact Elon and get fixed ; )
Interesting! Pretty confident his works and those of others in that realm or others dealing with any freedom, individualist, patriotic or other related subjects.
PoppaG
December 21, 2024 at 1:57 pm
Oldarmourer
Computers, and AI, do what they’re told to do and nothing else.
It doesn’t matter if the command was an error or too ambiguous to have a clear meaning and could be carried out in more than one way, it’s what the computer will process. It’s why the ‘global warming’ algorithms can’t give the same result twice in a row and why AI’s give some very questionable responses like lying to ‘save face’. They were badly programmed, sometimes accidentally but often deliberately in order to get the desired result instead of the actual one then claim “it was verified by the computer.” AI won’t be the downfall of humanity, the people who programmed it and refused to consider any possibility of the output being incorrect will be.
Not having read the damn thing, I’m certain that the Raskin & Hollings pork for the Baltimore Bridge rebuild is still in there. No dollar amount is specified, just that “the federal government will fund 100% of the cost”. We’ll be funding the entire budget of Maryland off of this one.
Ah, but what IS ‘the truth’? Direct experience of truth being very uncommon, we must go on reports by others. Even if not WILLFULLY LYING, we end to somewhat misunderstand, fail to observe everything, and INTERPET partly by use of our belief systems.
“Truth” is easy to descry here: It’s a 1,547 page bill that was presented to Congress to be passed into law on short notice (so that it couldn’t be read to find out what was IN it).
“TRUTH” is what occurred when the thing was outsourced to X with the resultant outcry and withdrawal of the “proposed new law.”
Yeah, about 40 years ago, I was walking towards the corner of a 4-way intersection, and I was actually looking at the stoplight. Saw a car run the redlight (which changed as they were going through the intersection) and crashed into a car driving through that intersection. I hung around for the police. Told them what I saw. Another witness said that the other people ran the light. I still think I was right since I was looking AT the light when it changed, and I believe that they looked up just after the crash. Cop took it all in stride. Took down our info and I never heard anything more.
Chris has spotted and called our attention to something that is much BIGGER than anyone realizes. It is quite possible that Congress will never again be able to impose the kind of corruption on us that the 1,500 page pork-bill represented. As long as X—or something like it—remains free, that kind of Congressional shit is now ENDED. (Elon deserves our love and support once again.)
The fun part is how the Democrats are raging about how “we had a deal” after the pork laden CR got nuked and blaming “President Musk” and promising they will obstruct the new Trump administration.
We know the Democrats will say anything with zero intent of honouring anything they commit to, so long as they get what they want. They are the tribe of By Any Means Necessary who believe the ends justify the means; principles are for losers.
They’re trying to pretend like they participate in a meaningful bilateral governance when realistically, they vote as a block for anything proposed by their tribe and as a block against anything proposed by the Republicans.
Kinda nice to see Rep Luna calling them out on it and to hear the Dems howling like unhinged lunatics as she was speaking.
Congress needs to be taken behind the woodshed for a substantial attitude adjustment and reminder:
They have an obligation to craft and pass a budget every damn year. This is the very cornerstone of their freakin’ job!
The last time a President signed a budget it was G.W. Bush, and it was in his last year in office. That was back in 2008 for fuck’s sake!
We’ve been getting hammered with unhinged spending by way of the CR dodge since then. Zero fiscal responsibility ever since the Mocha Messiah was in office.
December 21, 2024 at 7:13 pm
DCE
It used to be “the Budget” was voted in in piecemeal fashion. It wasn’t this omnibus and CR bull we’ve been dealing with all these years. But Congress likes this because it’s so easy to hide pork.
December 21, 2024 at 12:13 pm
Jim Smith
Sen. Mike Lee says the defeat of the pork-bill is “an historic moment” because “it’s not going to work anymore.” See what he has to say at the following link:
So love the fact that the term GROK is being used for Elon’s AI; he is undeniably a student of RAH. Imperfect as is everything revolutionary but an improving work in progress.
And he has suggested an actual law to require these mega-bills to be released to the public DAYS before being considered in Congress so as to uncover the pork and the dirt in advance. Yes indeed that provision will END the evil “pass it then read it” idiocy.
Good idea in theory, but nobody is going to read a 1600-page bill that covers SEVERAL topics that is written in legalese. Bills need to be specific and on one topic. They only make it complicated so they can wiggle out of criticism. The whole procedure is absurd.
Not true. Tons of “interested parties”, from individuals to wags on both sides, will devour that wasteful deluge of words specifically to call out their particular wants and claims, and of course pork. It’s a great idea; let them write in darkness and ask for the moon and get shot down by the light of day.
December 21, 2024 at 12:54 pm
epador
It’s a big tell that the previous exposé of pork in first two bills has not yet materialized for this, the third one.
President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neanderthal B Woodman Domestic Violent Extremist SuperStraight
If I were a Kongress Kritter (and i give thanks every day that work in a productive occupation instead), I would tell my constituents, “Hey, sorry, didn’t vote for this abortive omnibus bill as it was too long, and the leadership wanted a vote too soon. And what little I was able to read was totally hinkey and against the Constitutional rights of my constituents.”
Yet nobody mentions that the all important ‘must pass’ Farm Bill attached to this mess is 80% food stamps and very little farming.
Bills need to contain one thing and one thing only, no riders, no inclusions, no attachments, no earmarks, no nuthin’ except what’s in the title. Politicians don’t want to vote fifty times instead of once because it cuts into their drinking time ? Then stop writing crap. Most of the ‘pork’ only passes because it’s not their money and they expect their turn at the trough later.
Maybe, maybe not, the pork got pulled this time so there’s still hope.
We’ll just have to wait and see, but no matter how pure the intentions of the ones at the top, they’re still dealing with hundreds of politicians that prefer voting for themselves instead of the people.
34 Comments
People on X are saying Grok can be used to easily digest/upload the mega-omnibus bills, and provide an easy to read summary without all the legalese and emotional nonsense. Suddenly I feel slightly less apprehensive about AI…
It reminds me of one of the few scenes I remember from “Silent Running.” It was 50 years ago, and it’s quite possible I’m remembering a scene that may not actually have been there. Getting old sucks in several ways.
Anyway, Bruce Dern was in his spaceship watching some televised political debate with his little robot friends, and a voiceover on the TV was informing the viewers in real time every time any of the participants made invalid claims, misstated statistics, or otherwise shaded or inverted the truth. It was utopia — *if you trusted the voice.*
And therein lies the gig. If you can trust the voice. How many times does it source yellow journalism. Jaded AI is jaded, no matter the subject. It’s like taking advice from a safety officer who secretly despises you and has no moral constraints.
There was a TVmovie/pilot back in the 70s called “Earth-II” where a space station declares its independence. I remember a televised debate where the screen would flash subtext about statements like “Not based on fact”, “Emotional intent”, and others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_II
Zar Belk!
I appreciate the reference! I found the scene (I’ll try to post the URL immediately following this, but I think it’s causing me to be censored) and it’s similar to what I remember, but the fact checking I remember was a soft female voice, not closed captions. Anyway, clearly the same idea!
I asked Grok some simple Heinlein questions and it answered surprisingly incorrectly. Told it to contact Elon and get fixed ; )
Interesting! Pretty confident his works and those of others in that realm or others dealing with any freedom, individualist, patriotic or other related subjects.
PoppaG
Computers, and AI, do what they’re told to do and nothing else.
It doesn’t matter if the command was an error or too ambiguous to have a clear meaning and could be carried out in more than one way, it’s what the computer will process. It’s why the ‘global warming’ algorithms can’t give the same result twice in a row and why AI’s give some very questionable responses like lying to ‘save face’. They were badly programmed, sometimes accidentally but often deliberately in order to get the desired result instead of the actual one then claim “it was verified by the computer.” AI won’t be the downfall of humanity, the people who programmed it and refused to consider any possibility of the output being incorrect will be.
The little note on the top of my computer screen at work reads:
I hate this damn computer
I wish that they would sell it
It does not do what I want it to do
It only does what I tell it
So, this is what they mean when they say “the revolution will not be televised.”
Not having read the damn thing, I’m certain that the Raskin & Hollings pork for the Baltimore Bridge rebuild is still in there. No dollar amount is specified, just that “the federal government will fund 100% of the cost”. We’ll be funding the entire budget of Maryland off of this one.
DW asked me why the owners of the ship that did the damage (or their insurer) isn’t on the hook for this instead, and I had to tell her I didn’t know.
THE revolution will be to actually tell the Truth.
Ah, but what IS ‘the truth’? Direct experience of truth being very uncommon, we must go on reports by others. Even if not WILLFULLY LYING, we end to somewhat misunderstand, fail to observe everything, and INTERPET partly by use of our belief systems.
“Truth” is easy to descry here: It’s a 1,547 page bill that was presented to Congress to be passed into law on short notice (so that it couldn’t be read to find out what was IN it).
“TRUTH” is what occurred when the thing was outsourced to X with the resultant outcry and withdrawal of the “proposed new law.”
No problem. Nobody believes anybody. The Sun tends to rise in the East.
Anarchy!
Chaos reigns
Reboot
REPENT!
Order shall follow.
Yeah, about 40 years ago, I was walking towards the corner of a 4-way intersection, and I was actually looking at the stoplight. Saw a car run the redlight (which changed as they were going through the intersection) and crashed into a car driving through that intersection. I hung around for the police. Told them what I saw. Another witness said that the other people ran the light. I still think I was right since I was looking AT the light when it changed, and I believe that they looked up just after the crash. Cop took it all in stride. Took down our info and I never heard anything more.
Beware!
THE SEA ISLAND GROUP
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/03/07/the-professionally-republican-gather-at-sea-island-again-strategizing-2022-plans-to-thwart-political-challenge-to-dc-power/
&
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2016/12/11/president-elect-donald-trump-invites-sea-island-attendees-tech-executives-to-meeting-at-tower/
&
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/11/20/sea-island-never-sleeps-rga-announces-brian-kemp-to-lead-republican-governors-association/
&
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/12/20/short-term-funding-mechanism-for-govt-spending-passes-house/
Lot of reading material, these articles illustrate the Battle we are in vs. THE UNIPARTY
DECEPTICONS & the HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS
May we live in interesting times!!
Chris has spotted and called our attention to something that is much BIGGER than anyone realizes. It is quite possible that Congress will never again be able to impose the kind of corruption on us that the 1,500 page pork-bill represented. As long as X—or something like it—remains free, that kind of Congressional shit is now ENDED. (Elon deserves our love and support once again.)
The fun part is how the Democrats are raging about how “we had a deal” after the pork laden CR got nuked and blaming “President Musk” and promising they will obstruct the new Trump administration.
We know the Democrats will say anything with zero intent of honouring anything they commit to, so long as they get what they want. They are the tribe of By Any Means Necessary who believe the ends justify the means; principles are for losers.
They’re trying to pretend like they participate in a meaningful bilateral governance when realistically, they vote as a block for anything proposed by their tribe and as a block against anything proposed by the Republicans.
Kinda nice to see Rep Luna calling them out on it and to hear the Dems howling like unhinged lunatics as she was speaking.
Congress needs to be taken behind the woodshed for a substantial attitude adjustment and reminder:
They have an obligation to craft and pass a budget every damn year. This is the very cornerstone of their freakin’ job!
The last time a President signed a budget it was G.W. Bush, and it was in his last year in office. That was back in 2008 for fuck’s sake!
We’ve been getting hammered with unhinged spending by way of the CR dodge since then. Zero fiscal responsibility ever since the Mocha Messiah was in office.
It used to be “the Budget” was voted in in piecemeal fashion. It wasn’t this omnibus and CR bull we’ve been dealing with all these years. But Congress likes this because it’s so easy to hide pork.
Sen. Mike Lee says the defeat of the pork-bill is “an historic moment” because “it’s not going to work anymore.” See what he has to say at the following link:
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1869991952063619131
Wondering why my comment is awaiting approval?
So love the fact that the term GROK is being used for Elon’s AI; he is undeniably a student of RAH. Imperfect as is everything revolutionary but an improving work in progress.
And he has suggested an actual law to require these mega-bills to be released to the public DAYS before being considered in Congress so as to uncover the pork and the dirt in advance. Yes indeed that provision will END the evil “pass it then read it” idiocy.
Good idea in theory, but nobody is going to read a 1600-page bill that covers SEVERAL topics that is written in legalese. Bills need to be specific and on one topic. They only make it complicated so they can wiggle out of criticism. The whole procedure is absurd.
Not true. Tons of “interested parties”, from individuals to wags on both sides, will devour that wasteful deluge of words specifically to call out their particular wants and claims, and of course pork. It’s a great idea; let them write in darkness and ask for the moon and get shot down by the light of day.
It’s a big tell that the previous exposé of pork in first two bills has not yet materialized for this, the third one.
Plus ça change, plus la même chose
If I were a Kongress Kritter (and i give thanks every day that work in a productive occupation instead), I would tell my constituents, “Hey, sorry, didn’t vote for this abortive omnibus bill as it was too long, and the leadership wanted a vote too soon. And what little I was able to read was totally hinkey and against the Constitutional rights of my constituents.”
Is anyone else vaguely disappointed that a daily webtoon titled “X Rated” doesn’t even have as much as a nipple slip or erotic silhouette?
At least there’s a little areola slip if you look close.
Yet nobody mentions that the all important ‘must pass’ Farm Bill attached to this mess is 80% food stamps and very little farming.
Bills need to contain one thing and one thing only, no riders, no inclusions, no attachments, no earmarks, no nuthin’ except what’s in the title. Politicians don’t want to vote fifty times instead of once because it cuts into their drinking time ? Then stop writing crap. Most of the ‘pork’ only passes because it’s not their money and they expect their turn at the trough later.
Exactly.
New Boss, Same as the Old Boss…
We got fooled again.
Maybe, maybe not, the pork got pulled this time so there’s still hope.
We’ll just have to wait and see, but no matter how pure the intentions of the ones at the top, they’re still dealing with hundreds of politicians that prefer voting for themselves instead of the people.