Notices by myrmepropagandist (futurebird@sauropods.win)

“I have a lot of problems with social anxiety—“
“REALLY? It doesn’t seem like it at all!”
“uh. Thanks. I think.”

I guess it’s only a problem if troubles or inconveniences anyone *else*. If I’m miserable? Living in a tunnel of fear? Not relevant, I suppose.

Listen, I know people say this to be nice, supportive even. Being extroverted is more socially correct so it’s meant often as a compliment. But, it also feels like minimization.

“If the Chrome download bar on your Mac is staying open, you can try closing it with Alt+Shift+H or using the "Hide Download Bar" Chrome extension.”

There is no “alt” key on a mac. There is no extension for chrome called “hide download bar”— this isn’t even a remarkably bad AI result it is just how it is now.

I assume people who don’t use computers often don’t notice how bad this is? Maybe they just think they can’t make their computer work because they are bad at computers?

Worker ants have three grandparents, not four. This is because male ants have a mother... but no father. They are haploid clones of their mom.

Sorry for the broken poll!

If you think there is an active (optimistic projective) "futuristic aesthetic" that hits, I challenge you to show me the most "futuristic feeling" thing you can find.

Capgras delusion is a psychological disorder where the sufferer will be convinced that people and objects have been replaced with identical imposters.

The existence of such a disorder suggests that the way recognize individuals works on multiple levels. It's thought to have a physiological cause. It looks like your mother, but some core authenticity, some deep signal is missing.

(Some of the conversations I've had about AI art have made me feel like I have this disorder.)

I sometimes wonder if everyone would show symptoms to an onset of whatever causes the Capgras delusion. It seems like people who have this problem can, sometimes, overcome it by learning how it works and understanding that the way they feel when they see people they care about has radically changed forever, but that need not mean they are seeing imposters. They can intellectualize their way out of the need to accuse people of being "fakes."

this 4/20 on easter thing got old fast if I see one more 'he has resin' post im going to literally go to church its that bad

@lnlyisol

Am I just getting old? One of the things that made me fall in love with the internet is how if you looked for something, no matter how obscure, no matter how unlikely if someone had gone to the trouble of making it you could find it.

That just isn't true in the same way anymore. It's more likely you will be redirected to a more "normal search query"

It "works better" for many people most of the time. But, that's at the expense of making everything strange hidden.

@celesteh

YES.

Playing along with the theory is part of the theory *takes bong hit* it's so deeeep maaaan

@celesteh

You want a real conspiracy? Here is mine: Why do theories as sophomoric as "dead internet theory" and "NPC theory" or "simulation theory" or "Roko's basilisk" get *any* oxygen at all in media?

These are half-baked shower-thoughts at best.

But they are also concepts that teach helplessness and self-isolation.

If you were the kind of person who feared the internet as a tool for grass roots organizing "dead internet theory" would make all would be activists dead in the water.

You have heard of "dead internet theory" but you probably haven't looked at the theory as originally posted.

It's often summed up as "the internet is just a bunch of bots talking to each other" ... and it's tempting to nod along: it's fun to say that "things were better in my day" and YES many sites have too many bots.

However I wish to present the take that the now four-year-old "The Dead Internet Theory" is ... Bad Actually. 1/

The idea that "most interactions online are bots" and therefore the internet is just imaginary pointless cycles of the same nonsense designed to generate "interaction" for the purpose of advertising has its roots in another "Bad Actually" theory: the notion that life is a simulation and everyone is NPCs.

I recently tried to read some of the original thread from wizchan and 4chan that are credited with starting "dead internet theory" and they are...

deeply questionable.

@lnlyisol

I'm so disgusted with the state of search these days. It's not just the AI it's the AI slop combined with the mushy "let us tell you what you really meant" search results.

Obscure band names, artists, concepts are "corrected" to more popular words. "ant" is swapped for "art" if I'm looking for anything cute or amusing ("cute art stickers" NO I want "cute ANT stickers")

It's like modern search is trying to make everyone hopelessly basic. Only popular things exist.

To prevent deer from being hit by cars Finland has tried using reflective paint. (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/avoid-deer-strikes-finland-painting-deer-antlers-reflective-paint-180949792/)

File this under "solutions to modern problems that summon the old gods."

@inthehands

uh... i guess??

@inthehands

It's for drying the tea pot and lid after you rinse it with hot water.

At least we know how this polyhedron was used. The "Roman Dodecahedrons" continue to confuse people. But, I don't think that is all that shocking.

There are many durable but baffling objects.

https://sauropods.win/@futurebird/114145823248199949

Here is a Roman D20 carved from crystal in the 3rd century AD. These were used, historians suspect for telling fortunes. However, no one can *prove* they weren't used for some kind role playing game. Which is what getting a fortune told with a die is kind of like anyways if you ask me.

"roll for initiative"

I understand why no one wants to do it. But there needs to be a non-profit, independent, ad-free social media option for young people.

No one wants the moderation and safety responsibilities of running such a network. And I just said "no ads" (and no datamining, you ghouls) so this is the polar opposite of profitable.

But, young people deserve a safe place online. "just lie and say you're 15" is a bad "solution."

With the right legal framework these networks could be run through schools.