This release was made possible by the ongoing support of the ODC project by CSIRO, RISE and Geoscience Australia.

And a special thanks to all early adopters of Open Data Cube 1.9, your feedback and bug reports have been invaluable.

I really appreciate living in a place where I can see the natural cycles rolling by like this on my daily walk.

(My time between jobs is drawing to a close (official announcement shortly). So I will return to more directly professional posts shortly.)

Is it copyright infringement or ripping off creators? Maybe a bit? But less so than the hand-animated collage techniques I used for my earlier videos.

But it's easier, and produces more vivid and compelling results in far, far, far less time.

I understand why some people reject AI art. If used simply as a tool of mass-production, you end up with boring predictable cliched schmalz. But I believe it can also be used a tool to create genuinely original expressive and impactful art.

The lip sync animations is an example of a non-deceptive, artistic use of the algorithms usually labeled "deep fake" by the media.

This was done with the free tier of one of these services. High-definition paid animations will be featured in future music videos and are even more realistic.

Straws are moronic. Drink from a glass like an adult already.

Soup in a bowl, iirc.

The vet did everything but cats and dogs. I also saw a rat, a rabbit and a guinea pig, but they didn't come with amusing stories.

In another overheard conversation at the reception desk I learned of elderly male quail who had been bereft at the loss of his lady-companion but had recently been developing a new love with a plush bird toy. The owner was very excited that the developing romance had recently been consummated.

The guy in the consultation room before me came out with an empty cage. It was only when he turned to talk to the receptionist that I saw the cockatiel clinging to his back.
He sighed wearily. "Yeah it's just anxiety. She's a special bird."

I have to say she was the best behaved animal I have ever taken to a vet. I had to hold her still while the vet looked at her eye but rest of the time, she just sat there.

Here she is, waiting patiently for the vet to return with her medication. That's her good eye facing the camera, obviously.

It cost more than the whole flock of course, but probably less than the eggs left in her the way things are at the moment.

(There is an egg shortage in Australia at the moment. No shortage of eggs at our house.)

This Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard visits our garden every year. In this pic she is VERY comfortable with her preggie belly* hanging down between the slab and the tile.

* Yes, they give birth to live young!

3/3

The next time I saw it, it didn't have a tail to drop so it just played dead.

(ID welcome. Some kind of skink?)

2/3