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!
Just so you know, imgur hosted images aren't viewable for people living in the UK. It might cause issues for people wanting to join the book webring if they can't use the button.
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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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...
Popular Tags
art music videogames programming anime games personal food writing cats blog movies books gaming fashion photography comics animation design horror arte game drawing coding musica manga reading portfolio furry poetry ocs cute kpop history technology animals film literature education philosophy fun roblox nature programacion sports science tech videogame html programing politics travel minecraft videojuegos gamedev life love retro web school 2000s blogging pokemon computers youtube diary cartoons fantasy pink illustration video dogs idk gardening random comic oc videos ai y2k internet arg cooking memes linux crafts queer kawaii nostalgia fandom tv journal worldbuilding aesthetic webcomic films media emo test cars learning vocaloid space business fanfiction news health stuff math fiction silly arts cutecore culture journaling website etc stories scifi painting baking crochet 90s cat cinema punk graphics series 3d football diy goth homestuck shows psychology archive comida marketing pixelart commissions artist software dance makeup me program css lgbt digitalart dnd sanrio sport creativity metal graphicdesign indie trans editing characters lgbtq lifestyle religion aboutme friends funny rpg plants fanart cool guitar streaming clothes sonic rock entertainment roleplay code development sewing story scene zines everything languages community ttrpg electronics webcomics comedy engineering aesthetics study reviews javascript weird deltarune beauty photos gay webcore cyberpunk vintage hacking originalcharacters fnaf spirituality blogs social basketball it webdesign educacion vtuber hobbies soccer storytelling computer coffee pets weirdcore thoughts flowers oldweb architecture biology project discord fandoms lore undertale informatica cosplay movie japan magic shop clothing moda language mlp information creative shopping book ttrpgs nintendo vaporwave alternative radio fitness chat crafting physics experimental astronomy singing testing about digital personalwebsite blinkies websites gatos nothing juegos money info birds anything cybersecurity research site witchcraft bugs wip tvshows japanese crypto yaoi theatre band html5 projects furries tecnologia occult gamedevelopment sleep finance autism sleeping animes dolls profile interests television other all frutigeraero knitting work vampires events photo fish libros resume poems genshin system vr futbol romance linguistics transgender visualnovels dreams puzzle collecting tarot lain essays mentalhealth apps wiki astrology gym gothic marvel toys fanfic dancing aliens skateboarding animations rap stamps hiking drawings app meme yuri splatoon jogos developer english cartoon intro free windows peliculas medicine coquette webdevelopment gyaru python family chess bio journalism puzzles gamedesign modding mystery pixels robots dog teaching creepypasta popculture interactive touhou ghchs birthday a mathematics humor osc carrd gallery fortnite dragons zine mythology links pizza blender resources deportes hobby musicals adventure introduction characterdesign rp fnf dreamcore online roleplaying ocean novels security piano traveling no whimsy jfashion amor cine studying data myself vkei style audio gifs law meow recipes pjsk spanish objectshows dark fansite hiphop pixel stars bl danganronpa lol bunnies paranormal indiegames swag bfdi home zonelets breakcore running twitch wrestling privacy alt ffxiv shrine plushies craft noise christianity communism tf2 boardgames feminism activism scenecore production utau foods podcast graphic pinterest pictures none rpgs death robotics songs geography volleyball filmmaking fotografia socialmedia collage jewelry progamming outdoors hellokitty travelling car designing brasil lesbian dinosaurs things grunge 3dmodeling dev educational maths bts omori blue tools ecommerce awesome vent electronic student anarchism god filmes theater android transformers sharks stickers vlog twine cozy literatura manhwa webdev misc deporte girls jpop lolita 80s chemistry historia scratch acting novel clowns cafe jazz store jesus tea old mario f1 environment starwars realestate pop computing args vtubers draw pc trains unblocked images yoga college livros help girly whatever videography horses mcr escuela baseball plurality dj services collection creepy doom pastel translation construction retrogaming multimedia computerscience skating cyber tumblr programmer programar supernatural flash ecology lego insects warriorcats persona event videoediting trading gamer nerd trinkets animales bitcoin therian 3dprinting artes epic weed hardware dc salud skincare southpark miku java techno tabletop yes tiktok drama weather tattoos swimming socialism lgbtqia forum kandi green surrealism medical opensource people monsters truecrime ropa economics hi chatting maps podcasts sociology modeling sound tcc ideas kdrama cultura yumeship programas bsd world vhs sketching author animanga angels edm js freedom analog hockey otherkin fishing visualnovel artwork shoes bands restaurant healthcare homepage hardcore learn cricket cleaning kirby search analysis purple bible racing tourism colors thrifting kidcore chill plural writting mangas vida halloween eating sculpture academia conspiracy egl brazil service text friendship christian programa enstars scary knowledge wedding programacao turismo digitalmarketing tennis estudiante medieval library videogaming yapping creation terror petz frogs curso homework rats depression general hair women anthropology did graffiti shitposting aviation sustainability scrapbooking closedspecies sciencefiction ambient retrogames webseries surreal otaku networking alterhuman drugs magazine wellness cv nails theology sites ceramics genshinimpact gacha glitch quotes university schoolproject kdramas harrypotter garden water tattoo analoghorror furniture academic crocheting poesia rants mods concerts cycling talking mobile cryptids liminal jjba building tutorials 3dart soft society ghosts foss anarchy rpgmaker erotica voiceacting truth writer creating estudio superheroes onepiece ux shrines cards batman illustrations theory musicproduction notes esoteric folklore archives server conlang blockchain guns live fanfics practice review programs character company selfship hetalia mtg french dandysworld performance kids vampire play mylittlepony bot startrek articles vlogs bikes camping species content seals informacion forsaken decor crk shoegaze sanat spiderman musicas noticias handmade shitpost os neocities communication apple cryptocurrency lostmedia creativewriting instagram ultrakill cs class doodles chaos geek quiz animal revival daily rhythmgames originalcharacter disney vinyl programmation dibujo blood synthesizers musics crime training sims church future escritura todo viajes youtuber meditation shoujo vibes unblockedgames commission industrial sweets ia vrchat scp adhd house military new evangelion solarpunk google satire filosofia idols songwriting underground randomstuff party calculator animating disability vtubing mha glitter musique miriadax paganism twitter zelda marxism exercise animalcrossing oldinternet interactivefiction black beach advertising more embroidery desing creatures stem css3 dating facts islam moe bass rambling visualkei something joke collections programm spooky fotos frontend cheese tamagotchi repair magick finalfantasy neopets vegan designer espanol shifting entretenimiento overwatch cult rainbow gossip jeux kink miscellaneous silliness developing instruments motorcycles warhammer dungeonsanddragons tips exploration jobs zombies webring multifandom spiritual happy halflife videgames ciencia club prompts faith productivity tareas studies miniatures beginner 1 drinks red self tcg datascience jokes anthro musician hack geometrydash archival photoshop tarea cities tecnology arcane secret woodworking conlangs download diario opinions private whimsical lofi mecha blackmetal hotel edits streamer
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