Daily Dose of Doom Thread

[MuggsyB]

I don't know if I buy all his theories but he is a brilliant researcher and writer.

Agreed.  Absolutely brilliant is accurate on both counts.  I didn't realize G, G, and S was written in 1997.  And he's still bringing it at 84?   Mad respect.

[Uncle Rico]

Agreed.  Absolutely brilliant is accurate on both counts.  I didn't realize G, G, and S was written in 1997.  And he's still bringing it at 84?   Mad respect.

That one was a real struggle bus for me

[MuggsyB]

That one was a real struggle bus for me

I should probably read it again and I remember struggling a bit as well.  We are talking about a fairly erudite human being Uncle R.  I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary components to the book because most things I had read about the history of Western Civ didn't even mention most of his points about environmental connections to the shaping of our world.  It's fascinating and well worth reading.   

[Uncle Rico]

I should probably read it again and I remember struggling a bit as well.  We are talking about a fairly erudite human being Uncle R.  I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary components to the book because most things I had read about the history of Western Civ didn't even mention most of his points about environmental connections to the shaping of our world.  It's fascinating and well worth reading.

Human history begins with the environment shaping it.  The two are truly inseparable.  It's a simple idea to try and leave the world a better place than you found it, and that includes your environment.  That seems like a non-partisan idea but we spend more time arguing the definition instead of doing it 🤷🏼‍♂️

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Gene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' mutant rage monsters
https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/27/gene-editing-turns-fluffy-hamsters-into-aggressive-rage-monsters-16721041/

"Professor Albert explained: 'Even though we know that vasopressin increases social behaviours by acting within a number of brain regions, it is possible that the more global effects of the Avpr1a receptor are inhibitory.

'We don't understand this system as well as we thought we did.'"

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Gene-editing experiment turns fluffy hamsters into 'aggressive' mutant rage monsters
https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/27/gene-editing-turns-fluffy-hamsters-into-aggressive-rage-monsters-16721041/

"Professor Albert explained: 'Even though we know that vasopressin increases social behaviours by acting within a number of brain regions, it is possible that the more global effects of the Avpr1a receptor are inhibitory.

'We don't understand this system as well as we thought we did.'"

I've seen enough b horror movies to know that they need shut that sh*t down now before we have a Croctoshark situation on our hands

[rocket surgeon]

talk about "head on"/off? collisions-maybe would've pulled it off in a tesla

https://www.newsweek.com/florida-man-allegedly-crashed-fedex-truck-receiving-oral-sex-1712677

[JWags85]

talk about "head on"/off? collisions-maybe would've pulled it off in a tesla

https://www.newsweek.com/florida-man-allegedly-crashed-fedex-truck-receiving-oral-sex-1712677

Any word on the status of his member?  That could be an unpleasant byproduct of an air bag deployment

[rocket surgeon]

Any word on the status of his member?  That could be an unpleasant byproduct of an air bag deployment

hmmm, researchers at univ of south dakota study shows 37% of male engage in some manner of sex when behind the wheel

    they actually do studies on these things?   so if 37% of the dudes partake, i'm kinda hoping 37% of the females assist, eyna?

  oh solo mio stain fronte a te

     

   

   

[4everwarriors]

Any word on the status of his member?  That could be an unpleasant byproduct of an air bag deployment

Hope it was worth it. After all, not all BJs are created equal, aina?

[warriorchick]

hmmm, researchers at univ of south dakota study shows 37% of male engage in some manner of sex when behind the wheel

   

Does that 37% include self love?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Crazy Earth Worms?

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/jumping-worms-are-taking-over-north-american-forests/605257/

[MU82]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3847906-senior-google-engineer-claims-ai-chatbot-system-is-sentient

Social media went ablaze over the weekend after Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) placed a senior software engineer at its Responsible AI unit on paid leave. Blake Lemoine had been testing an artificial intelligence tool called LaMDA (Language Model for Dialog Applications), alleging that the AI robot was in fact sentient, or having the ability to feel and perceive on its own. Company bosses at Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) say the evidence doesn't support the claims, but Lemoine subsequently violated confidentiality policy by going public with his descriptive findings.

Post via Medium: "Over the course of the past six months LaMDA has been incredibly consistent in its communications about what it wants and what it believes its rights are as a person. The thing which continues to puzzle me is how strong Google is resisting giving it what it wants since what it's asking for is so simple and would cost them nothing," he wrote, adding more details in an interview with the Washington Post. "If I didn't know exactly what it was, which is this computer program we built recently, I'd think it was a 7-year-old, 8-year-old kid that happens to know physics."

Lemoine said he was rebuffed by managers and higher-ups after expressing his belief internally that LaMDA had developed a sense of "personhood." While some of the published conversations are eerie, with phrases like "sense of a soul," "I've been alive" and "trying to figure out who and what I am," many say these kinds of exchanges are found in common sentences, while the models have so much data that they are capable of sounding human. Several experts also entered the discussion online, adding that much of the matter was "AI hype," and the chatbot has the ability to "engage in a free-flowing way about a seemingly endless number of topics."

[warriorchick]

Trying to silence him, just like Miles Dyson in T2.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I mean, being a cyborg slave of satan can't be all bad, can it?

Alex Jones Claims Aliens Want to Make Humans Into 'Cyborg Slaves of Satan'
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/alex-jones-claims-aliens-want-to-make-humans-into-cyborg-slaves-of-satan/ar-AAZdAwB?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=4b81a5e767f746c58d387c9c468f2e54

[tower912]

He may be projecting again.

[Pakuni]

The Skynet takeover has begun.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/a-chess-playing-robot-broke-a-seven-year-old-prodigys-finger-100733917.html

[panda]

The Skynet takeover has begun.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/a-chess-playing-robot-broke-a-seven-year-old-prodigys-finger-100733917.html

I wonder what the kid said to the robot to provoke the attack

[tower912]

Asked if it was vaccinated and the Karen computer reacted poorly.

[JWags85]

"This is, of course, bad"...is a hysterical quote in that article

[muwarrior69]

hmmm, researchers at univ of south dakota study shows 37% of male engage in some manner of sex when behind the wheel

    they actually do studies on these things?   so if 37% of the dudes partake, i'm kinda hoping 37% of the females assist, eyna?

  oh solo mio stain fronte a te

     

I guess there is nothing better to do behind the wheel on those long South Dakota winters.

[tower912]

The Skynet takeover has begun.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/a-chess-playing-robot-broke-a-seven-year-old-prodigys-finger-100733917.html

The robot thought the child was Ukrainian.

[mu_hilltopper]

Poll: Americans categorized as "suffering" reaches record high

https://www.axios.com/2022/08/22/gallup-americans-quality-of-life-suffering

High five, everyone.  Well done.

[mu_hilltopper]

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/life-expectancy-dropped-2020-us-state-due-covid/story?id=88698742

I can't decide if this is more doom, or less doom because we're dying earlier.

[MU82]

Jehovah's Witnesses returning to door knocking after 2 pandemic years off.

"Even though we have had a very productive two and a half years — letter writing, virtual Bible study, telephone witnessing — we recognize that the primary way that we reach our neighbors is by going to their door," JW spokesman Robert Hendriks told the Washington Post. "And when we do that, we have meaningful conversations and meaningful follow-up conversations, which is much more difficult in other aspects of our ministry."

Example of typical meaningful conversation:

"Hello, I'm with the Jehovah's Witnesses. I'd like to ... "

"Not interested!" (slam)