Notices by Ciara (ciarani@mastodon.green), page 2

#SilentSunday

Someone tooted a brief clip of a young man on a panel describing, devastatingly well and simply, the damage technology had wrought on the lives of younger generations. Including why 'young people don't dance', which is stuck in my head ever since. I quoted it to someone today and want to send them the clip but can't find it. If this rings any bells with anyone who can point me in the right direction (please), I'd appreciate it.

Have it! Thank you, @agturcz and @antygon

https://mastodon.com.pl/@antygon/116500749791347102

On May 4th 1945, the BBC broadcast news of the German surrender in Denmark. Danes tore down their Nazi-imposed curfew blackout blinds and lit candles in their windows. Every May 4th since, people mark the liberation by putting a candle in their window at dusk. Every year, someone says: that tradition is dying out. Only old people do it now. Every year, the candles in windows and on balconies in our mixed-use, mixed-generation, mixed-age neighbourhood tell a different story.

People keep sharing an image of a bird with a drop of water bursting on its head like a crown. It's AI, but people share it in good faith, believing it’s an amazing photo by a human of a real bird in a real moment of time. Meanwhile, humans who have taken amazing photos of real birds captured in real moments of time, like a hummingbird in ballet with a butterfly, get questioned in good faith by people who are tired of being cheated by AI-deceit. The way AI has broken social trust is distressing.

Glædelig mandag. Another Monday. Another week in a world in which things keep relentlessly happening. Here's a postcard from #Aarhus, just to wish you a calm week.

I appear to be waging a one-woman ’See Something, Say Something’ campaign where I write to companies to register my displeasure when they use AI to enshittify customer service. And when their app is only available to Google & Apple customers. Their AI wastes my time with useless ’customer service’. I take time to word constructive customer feedback. Their AI reads it. I spend time reading a useless AI reply. AI increases productivity my bollix. What a waste of human time.

#OldWomanYellsAtCloud

This grumpy thought is brought to you by the fact that I have 3 mails to write after abysmal AI customer experiences this week. On the plus side though, I had a quick & good experience with hands-on human help at my insurance company. I didn’t even have to battle through a phone tree or ’we have a website!' messages to speak to the human in the first place. I want to say something when I see something good, too. To compliment their corporate choices. So I will write a mail of praise to them too.

Customer service staff must be hit doubly hard by enshittification and AI. Companies use AI in a bid to replace their jobs. The AI is useless and wastes time, so even a placid customer with a benign query will become frustrated and fed-up as they try to battle their way through to a human who can actually help. Customer service was hard enough in advance. It must be harder still these days, when AI has made even the pleasant customers cross before they get through to the human.

Monday has just walked in. Without so much as a by your leave. Glædelig mandag. Here's a postcard from ⁨#Aarhus⁩, just to wish you a good, calm week.

That time I realised I was somewhere near Fediverse HQ. I like the fact that Mastodon is human-sized, but sometimes wish it were more universally well-known because it was too complicated to explain why I made everyone stop so I could take a photo of the signs.

#SilentSunday

#SilentSunday

#SilentSunday

So many of my photos have a single seagull in them that I'm starting to wonder if it's the same seagull, stalking me around the world.

Seriously

A faithful companion, my seagull. Following me around even at sunrise.

I was joking about the same seagull following me everywhere, but now that I skim some random photos, maybe I'm not

I wonder if other animals enjoy a nice view, the way humans do

I think I'll start carrying this sign around with me

I like the fact that the signs in Cornwall say Beware The Gulls. As opposed to Beware Of The Gulls. Beware The Gulls sounds more ominous, more chilling, more 'these creatures are demonic, you are in grave peril'.