Latest Activity > middleearth
Sites
All the latest Neocities site news!
Neocities allows anyone to create a free web site to express themselves. Want to create your own awesome site? Join us!
Here's another little epilogue to the AI problem. Robin Hobb (AKA Meghan Lindholm) has discovered that she and other authors' work have been used by Meta in a data set to train AI without their consent. Here's a couple of links to the Author's Guild about the issue... https://authorsguild.org/news/meta-libgen-ai-training-book-heist-what-authors-need-to-know/
1 like
Everyone thinks that AI is going to destroy the world in the same manner that you see in Terminator, I, Robot or Humans, but in actuality it's going to be through spreading mis-information through over consumption of power/water contributing to climate change, AI generated content, copyright infringement, bogus crafting patterns that don't work and fake art.
In other news, Harper-Colins is once again having a 50% off sale, so I managed to snag four Raymond E. Feist books, and a Meghan Lindholm...
Stuff like this really pisses me off, and it's an insult to my grandmother's generation... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clynxz2ypv8o
I was hoping to have an afternoon on LOTRO, but it looks like it's their maintenance day. Always seems to happen...
One thing that cracks me up is when you're cleaning, reorganizing, packing up to move home/unpacking after you've moved home, you always find a random object that you didn't know how you came to possess it, what is actually is or what it's used for, all you know is that you have no use for it or that it's trash...
bright-eyes
11 months ago
Random metal objects that seem to come from something mechanical/DIY seem to be the most common, plastic second.
I thought that you might be interested in doing a piece about this on the blog portion of the Reading Project. I've noticed over the past year or so that there are a lot of low quality e-books showing up on Amazon in particular - you can usually tell them because the author doesn't have a fantastic fiction page about them and their books, and they usually have
1 like
bright-eyes
11 months ago
a series of books which have a lot of books in them in an inconceivably short period of time. https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-slop-is-already-in-your-public-library-3/
1 like
readingproject
11 months ago
I've been noticing ads pop up on my feed promoting 'AI' programs that will get your novel written in the afternoon so you can have it published and selling by dinner, sort-of-thing. I made comment about this sort of thing in the sidebar for a recent review on Richard Osman's We Solve Murders. It's a depressing situation
readingproject
11 months ago
I've just finished reading the article. It's really terrible. I hadn't thought about the issue librarians face, of trying to curate their collections and the problems of paying to use low-quality AI-produced material that is not clearly labelled as AI generated. I was speaking to several authors last year who were also depressed about how this is changing their industry
bright-eyes
11 months ago
It is. I first came across the problem with Kindle e-books because I looked up some that looked interesting and then when I opened the page, they were badly written. There are several apps that e-mail kindle book suggestions to you which you can download for free, or low cost and I suspect that most of those are AI generated, or at least poorly written and edited. I now only buy/download kindle books from authors I
1 like
bright-eyes
11 months ago
recognize. It is frustrating as a reader and it's probably equally as frustrating for authors, especially new ones because people will be reluctant to buy/read their work. In some ways, I wished I'd bought a different e-reader because I don't see the same problem associated with other e-readers, and kindle unlimited isn't that useful.
1 like
readingproject
11 months ago
I had an ereader many years ago but didn't enjoy the experience. Reading old fashioned books mitigates this problem to a large degree. But I can see scenarios, long-term, where even that could be affected.
There's a nazi bloke on dreamwidth moaning about people with disabilities and chronic illnesses like it's some kind of spiritual and moral failing. Should I tell the guy that it could happen to anyone, including him? My partner was diagnosed with a heart condition last year, his son in law almost died from a brain hemorrhage in the summer and has only now gone back to work (I hope he stays ok), countless people -
1 like
bright-eyes
11 months ago
we've known have become ill and died with cancer, one friend witnessed a bloke getting shot in the head while he was at work and getting severe ptsd from it, folks in the military can at any time, get permanently injured during their day's work, a person can get injured while crossing the road, a baby can be born with genetic condition...
1 like
We have a normal winter, relatively speaking, compared to what we've had for yonks... OK, it could be because we are further north than we have lived before, but still... So we have a normal winter, and the BBC posts this rubbish... What do you want? We have a normal winter and you try to say that it is abnormal, but ignore years of warm winters because it's more -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn938ze4yyeo
bright-eyes
11 months ago
There you have it, folks. A normal winter is more abnormal than an abnormal one...
Time marches on... But what I think is worrying in conjunction with all of this, is the rise of the far-right all over the world, not just in the US (for obvious reasons), but also elsewhere. I've been following the Bulletin for a number of years now (heck, it always surprises me that the seconds countdown was only announced a couple of years back - it seems longer to me!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqifSCvzaFI
1 like
bright-eyes
11 months ago
Moving it on one second only seems a little bit optimistic - I would have moved it on further. I wonder if Starmer and the rest of the politicians will grow up and start making sensible moves to make things better? Probably not, because we wouldn't be in this mess if they had.
If tech companies can rip off creators with AI, then fan ficers, fan artists, musicians, etc, should be able to make money of work that isn't their own too. (I don't believe that, but changes in law to allow tech companies to use AI to generate money like this is a farce.) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xqv9g8442o
2 likes
Is Channel 5 feeling alright? An actual, traditional, sci-fi space show? I didn't know that those were made now adays...
Storm Eowyn is wrecking havoc with our internet connection and has blown down a panel of the rickety fence... Just about what I would expect from a storm named after the slayer of the Witch-King.
Popular Tags
art music videogames programming anime games food personal writing cats blog movies books gaming fashion photography comics design animation horror game drawing coding manga arte furry portfolio poetry reading ocs technology cute kpop musica history education animals programacion film fun roblox literature sports philosophy html nature science programing tech videogame travel politics web minecraft gamedev retro school videojuegos life youtube computers cartoons love pokemon 2000s blogging video diary illustration fantasy pink dogs random comic gardening idk internet memes videos oc linux test ai cooking queer y2k webcomic kawaii nostalgia tv fandom arg aesthetic journal emo news business worldbuilding fanfiction cars crafts vocaloid learning health media films silly stuff space math fiction 90s stories website cutecore scifi culture etc arts cat painting football css graphics homestuck journaling marketing baking goth software punk lgbt 3d sanrio commissions crochet sport cinema pixelart archive artist psychology digitalart program dance diy me comida makeup dnd shows series characters trans funny metal religion lgbtq graphicdesign lifestyle cool creativity editing aboutme fanart entertainment clothes streaming sonic rpg javascript indie code friends development scene webcomics story plants roleplay comedy guitar languages weird rock webcore everything electronics zines ttrpg gay hacking community sewing study aesthetics engineering reviews webdesign cyberpunk educacion beauty basketball fnaf computer informatica it soccer originalcharacters weirdcore social oldweb vintage vtuber spirituality discord pets photos project deltarune vaporwave blogs shop architecture storytelling information movie flowers coffee clothing about language thoughts undertale shopping nintendo japan hobbies biology testing mlp cosplay html5 magic creative book crypto digital lore fitness money radio ttrpgs experimental nothing blinkies fandoms chat physics info tecnologia alternative astronomy cybersecurity site japanese juegos singing furries bugs birds websites occult autism witchcraft wip other finance anything research resume futbol band lain television tvshows profile sleep theatre sleeping crafting dolls projects gamedevelopment events personalwebsite moda vr work system linguistics genshin apps vampires photo knitting all interests ghchs fish dreams splatoon yaoi transgender python webdevelopment free meme astrology carrd gatos rap fanfic mentalhealth toys puzzle developer aliens wiki coquette app windows collecting romance poems dancing pixels drawings visualnovels animations fortnite robots touhou cartoon deportes english dog family bio gothic tarot stamps a frutigeraero marvel skateboarding intro pizza medicine online animes security links modding essays mathematics humor data adventure osc teaching fnf hiking interactive characterdesign gyaru journalism gamedesign gym mystery no dragons chess gallery roleplaying lol fansite rp zine hobby creepypasta objectshows zonelets jfashion gifs pixel popculture twitch birthday puzzles resources mythology home breakcore law meow yuri musicals myself vkei ffxiv ocean dreamcore traveling tf2 scenecore novels noise privacy hiphop piano audio blender introduction death graphic danganronpa twine progamming recipes peliculas stars jogos podcast style rpgs dark bfdi libros ecommerce indiegames plushies pjsk hellokitty android swag communism car robotics shrine studying socialmedia paranormal production omori activism pictures awesome running spanish wrestling bunnies foods none pinterest boardgames utau christianity lolita deporte jewelry educational electronic vent amor anarchism student lesbian things girls volleyball filmmaking feminism travelling misc unblocked craft god grunge scratch cine bitcoin mario sharks dev songs computing clowns geography maths webdev store old designing 80s blue realestate outdoors jpop doom 3dmodeling pc bl help images vtubers dinosaurs flash collage environment transformers college java brasil starwars tumblr creepy tools jazz stickers bts fotografia chemistry cafe services acting event trains novel jesus construction baseball computerscience mcr epic yoga translation alt escuela tea plurality warriorcats lego cyber pastel programar retrogaming persona theater collection args multimedia therian programas videoediting manhwa southpark js whatever weed yes monsters tabletop tcc programmer horses gamer vlog truecrime cozy pop podcasts trading supernatural forum medical miku historia techno tiktok f1 otherkin shoes dc skating videography people hardware literatura estudiante weather bsd insects draw angels economics enstars skincare cricket homepage drama girly salud green restaurant search learn socialism opensource maps dj lgbtqia surrealism modeling freedom ecology turismo ropa kirby swimming whimsy kandi hi curso sound animales kidcore ideas digitalmarketing world vhs artwork nerd animanga bible closedspecies text tattoos halloween trinkets petz cleaning tourism depression conspiracy author filmes kdrama edm service shitposting analysis hockey cultura furniture chatting racing healthcare fishing videogaming cv 3dprinting surreal academia did drugs egl sociology friendship women blockchain hardcore homework rats bands frogs brazil tennis scary sculpture hair chill knowledge mobile wedding programa library general plural networking colors eating academic sciencefiction visualnovel sketching christian thrifting cryptocurrency informacion livros ambient alterhuman creation soft quotes analog tutorials purple aviation truth server rpgmaker genshinimpact species programacao artes mods practice gacha anarchy society university foss sites retrogames water glitch estudio batman anthropology graffiti ghosts mangas ux cryptids company miriadax wellness writting sustainability erotica bot jjba programs conlang forsaken cycling review magazine onepiece css3 medieval neocities google character live schoolproject guns harrypotter writer garden webseries esoteric nails class superheroes noticias 3dart theology kids twitter theory otaku talking bikes tattoo rants archives instagram yapping camping ceramics cs cards performance startrek animal vampire shitpost analoghorror crime building revival advertising play disney blood notes unblockedgames rhythmgames illustrations dating liminal industrial decor future evangelion french os church lostmedia idols articles crocheting meditation spiderman house training apple synthesizers viajes handmade musicproduction originalcharacter shrines ultrakill chaos frontend creating kdramas selfship concerts youtuber communication jobs interactivefiction shoegaze content party neopets voiceacting prompts new desing datascience scrapbooking tareas crk satire sims calculator finalfantasy folklore designer spooky vlogs terror exercise tecnology visualkei embroidery disability repair doodles vrchat tarea zelda mylittlepony magick silliness entretenimiento facts rambling seals poesia shifting sweets paganism animalcrossing rainbow vinyl creatures marxism cult something halflife quiz commission overwatch geek joke download black developing anthro hack cheese sanat spiritual animating vtubing miscellaneous jokes photoshop kink desarrollo hotel musics daily adhd webring scp tic creativewriting mtg bass ranfren vegan beach conlangs club happy military christmas private fanfics arcane islam php songwriting projectsekai zombies vida self ar doctorwho trabajo agriculture tokipona underground oldroblox mha todo glitter drinks archival edits more 1 secret productivity map beginner mecha ia motorcycles pet cottagecore tips generator studies tamagotchi shoujo ui gender yugioh mushrooms dandysworld ciencia musician vibes tokusatsu oldinternet collections lofi programm videgames rave cities red dungeonsanddragons randomstuff index faith stupid casino stem cake nct
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/authors-guild-author-letters-to-ai-companies?source=direct_link&fbclid=IwY2xjawJQswBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZjfvr4Rcv1PM5lJzlBuxWyETzRhMZ6ZOOVylGc2Z7nSg3SgT3xRCbGbjw_aem_Oq2_P3YA-rmzjKpn5pCvBA
I did a search on this site to see which authors are in the Lib Gen database, and works from everyone I looked up came up in it, from authors like Tolkien to modern day writers like Marie Brennan.
It's pretty disgusting. You've obviously been following this. You suggested I do a blog post last month about it. I think I'll wait to the beginning of next month when the post will be active for longer. Think I will also include something in my next newsletter. If you want to write anything for either of those I'd be happy to include it in either of those. Thanks