I have new RPGs 😊👍 Thanks @vgp-videogamesplus.bsky.social

I am surprised and heartened by the support shown for my latest video. Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back and watching! 💝 youtu.be/zaFaZh9A7MQ

YUCK! "Discover, analyze, and manage influencers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more — powered by AI-driven search and real-time analytics." If spam (or phishing) emails include an Unsubscribe link, and that URL includes "easykol" ... then you know they've used this AI tool to harvest data.

500 planted today on foothills of ranges!

For lovers of turn-based combat, the Playstation store often has steep discounts - but they take a bit of digging to find! Here are 2 games often overlooked but still good to play; I enjoy them anyway. 😊 For more deals: turnbasedlovers.com/news/best-ps...

"It is strange, but the machine age and the computer age both promised to give mere mortals more time in their lives, but less time is what it seems we have. We are using up Time too fast, just as we are using up all the other resources of the Earth." (Published 2006, p. 126/7)

PoodlePa is in control! 😎

This email is interesting, not bc of what it says but what it doesn't say. Like everything else these days, it's about AI. It invites me to offload all my video editing drudgery to this (allegedly) successful professional. Unfortunately, they haven't checked my profile 😎 and interest in AI. --> 2

"a Duke study that found using AI to help with a reading task decreases reading comprehension by 12%." 😮

I'm starting my new Tomodachi Life today on the Switch! 🤸

".. vibe-coders "learn how to debug and code" instead of "generating slop that you don't understand". RPCS3 replied: “You can’t possibly handwrite the type of shit AI slop we have been seeing.”

"Writing isn’t just the production of sentences – it’s the training of endurance by way of sustained attention." "We discuss why their thinking matters, that their struggle to translate thoughts into word isn’t evidence of failure, but a sign of growth."

Kiwi friends! 🙋 This is the *only* NZ news outlet I pay a sub for. I hope you can spare a couple of minutes to read the message and give it your consideration! Thank you. 🧙 #AoNZ

This is what it has come to in NZ. Our democratic rights are being removed at breakneck speed. And for what? To prevent "creating uncertainty in business confidence and investments". 🫩 We are in the "end-state of a market economy" (Cory Doctorow). /2

I don't have a @wired.com sub any more so can't read the full article - but the gist of it is clear from the headline and lede. #AI #hollywood

This is par for the course in terms of what is happening to legal residents of the US, who have literally done everything by the book. Is the Big Fat Nothing that the NZ govt is doing to help her - other than letting Winston lie about it - par for the course for what we can expect of our own govt?

Very positive about graphic novels for children! "The skills needed to navigate and comprehend narrative and meaning in a graphic novel are now being recognised as essential ones, in an increasingly visually dominated world."

“The DIA told us that large international businesses have reported that they are not yet getting a return from AI and that most of their proofs of concept are not working. Nonetheless, they are committed to using AI.” I'm stuck trying to find new words for Stupidity.

My little #GameBoy Operator device finally arrived 😀 and it's super duper. I'm digging out a few GBAs to test run. It does much other stuff, like backups and counterfeit testing.

"there were "extreme" shortfalls in policy to address some of the biggest risks" This is such an indictment of the head-in-the-sand approach of our current (hopefully not for much longer!) government. #climatecrisis

OK - finished! 👍 Mr. Gee crammed an awful lot into 235 pages. 😲 Part One deals with what is clearly his special area of expertise, and it's also the one I found most fascinating bc I have an established interest in anthropology & evolution. The rise of the species "homo" is brought alive with .. /2

"Rather than building its own sites, it looks like Amazon in New Zealand is shifting to a "lease-and-equip" model - buying capacity and filling it, rather than building from scratch." #Amazon

"The judges issued a stern warning about the “serious implications” of using AI in court. They said that while they wouldn't punish Chen for the fake cases this time, people who use made-up AI information could face charges for contempt of court or obstructing justice in the future."

Good article!

I finished this murder mystery set in 1950 Bombay.* Enjoyed it a lot. Excellent historic and cultural background, and ofc a cracking good riddle-laden mystery to keep the pages turning. I am obliged for this discovery to Dr. Puzzle @puzzledoctor.bsky.social and his excellent Classic Mystery blog. 2

"There is a distinct risk of further escalation." #AI #backlash Indeed, and only fools can't see it - as this article by @bcmerchant.bsky.social lays out without fear or favour. /2

Currently reading (non-fiction) by the British paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Henry Gee. The book was published last year and incorporates a lot of up-to-the-minute research. I'll have more to say once I've finished it, but I can say already it's very good! #booksky

I finished TEMPLE ALLEY SUMMER by Sachiko Kashiwaba (known for her The Village Beyond the Mist, which inspired the animated film Spirited Away) but I'm afraid I wanted to like it more than I actually did. If I was a score dispensing person, I'd probably give it a 3/5.

King of the Last Days This excellent Chris Hedges article (on Twitter/X) reminded me of the excellent TV drama we just rewatched - the 1992 König der letzten Tage (A King for Burning) by Tom Toelle, with a very young Christoph Waltz in the title role.

#AI The incompetent "tool" here is Google's Gemini Artificial Intelligence.

I read the famous Chess Novella, which Zweig completed in 1941 in exile in Brazil. He and his wife committed suicide in 1942 and Schachnovelle (also The Royal Game or Chess Story in English) was published posthumously that year. You can easily read it in an afternoon - a great intro to Zweig! 2

My Daily Dose of Hilarity comes today from this delightful email from a "talent agency" offering a trip to China, all expenses paid. Yeah, right ... 😂 This email has been making the rounds for 9 months now, I see on YouTube. They operate on TikTok and Insta.

Songs of Glimmerwick (Demo-PC), student life at a magical school.

I finished this Japanese murder mystery, my second novel by Shimada. It is good, but comes across as rather clinical. You feel like you're staring at a chessboard while reading. It is not until much later in the novel that the characters begin to come to life. -> 2

New Video. If you love musicals, please give this a listen! 🎶 youtu.be/a7NUc2kuDFk

I finished the 11th and last novel in the Flavia de Luce Mystery series. It is good. The IMPORTANT point is: it confirms my conviction that it's vital to read the books in sequence. Flavia slowly grows up; sub-plots ripen. This last book should always be read Last! Whopping spoiler.

Saw this comment under Wired article: "Gamers’ Worst Nightmares About AI Are Coming True" Meep meep 🙄

“Telegram stands out because it offers anonymity, speed, and large networks of like-minded users.” “We can probably say that without Telegram, it would be much harder for these people to have such a big user base.”

What are the odds? No power because a transformer in our street caught fire. 🔥😧 Just 4 houses are affected. Thankfully it didn't burn too deep and should be repaired soon.

New Video: XANADU youtu.be/AYWf4F1RGK8

Yay, more games, thanks to Easter sales! (Note: weak bargain resistance skill)

4 snapshots of limited editions from my PS Vita collection.

Never thought I'd see the day when "interest in porting older RPG series like Dungeon Travelers and Tears to Tiara" might actually become reality! I'm still chugging away in Dungeon Travelers 2 on my Vita! 😄

I played the PS5 Demo of ETRANGE OVERLORD. The game is published by NISA and was created by Sohei Niikawa (Disgaea and Rhapsody), with several studios involved. The art is by illustrator Shinichiro Otsuka (popular anime Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World).

Chocolate Lovers alert! This is a very good, hard hitting expose with lots of useful info - and not just for Aussies! Most of the brands discussed are international.

I finished this "classic" crime/mystery novel and it deserves the epithet Crime Classic. 👍 It was published in 1960 and the story is set in the late 1950s, with lots of social background including the long reach of the war years. -> 2

This should brighten up your day 😋 because it's a funny story and CHATGPT is utterly laughable. 😂

It's 10 years young 🐣and I just bought it on Steam in the spring sale. 😀

Fun weekend playing anime games!

I have Always been a WIRED HEADPHONES gal! Bluetooth tech is cumbersome and often fiddly, even unreliable. I only have one pair of btooth headphones. On my phones, I've used my ancient Motorola earbuds with a dongle for yonks.