Gormless… I do say, that’s a nice woooody word… quite woody indeed. Goooormmmmlessss.

Someone who always acts in bad faith can be trusted to act in bad faith… and that means you shouldn’t trust them with anything you care about. A person who always acts in good faith can be trusted and distrust is unnecessary. A person who waffles or does neither should be avoided.

Yes, no, yes, yes. 1 and 3 are not mutually exclusive, but 2 and 4 are.

This is in the same vein as a thought of mine… almost all people can be trusted. It’s just that some can be trusted to act in good faith and others can be trusted to act in bad faith (or at least always in accordance with their personal interests). Those few who can’t be trusted should be avoided.

If you had two, put a pole in each set of grooves, and tied the poles to each other at each end, now you have a bookshelf. I feel like that’s a very good shape for a divergent thinking exercise. Keep it up. Sometimes the end is the end, sometimes the process is the end.

If one were to advise an aspiring reader on their literary journey from day zero to Tolstoy this would not be a bad list to ease them on their way.

It is a shame the word “estranged” has such a negative connotation. I suppose we must encourage ourselves to learn to “detach”. But I’m still not opposed to amping up to full estrangement when warranted. There are things you detach from & others you want to be so far in the past as to be strange.

And better for you than the Big Mac meal!

Are YOU the most depressing book plate ever? YES, You ARE!

3/3 always ask it for the contrary arguments but this is a typical blind spot even without LLM’s. This guy’s video did a great job of advising how to use LLM’s as a tool and avoid brain rot. youtu.be/TPLPpz6dD3A?...

2/3 People should be trained to ask the question, give their answer, and then ask the LLM if they missed anything. Also you can’t trust anything it says and always must request citations with the answers and give order of preference (peer reviewed journals > government databases > Wikipedia). Also,

1/3 I agree with the points in the article but what’s the next step? This is only discussing the negatives. For good or ill LLM’s are only becoming more pervasive, so let’s figure out the good. LLM’s should be a means, not an end. You will cede all your cognitive skills if you only ask for answers.

3/3 always ask it for the contrary arguments but this is a typical blind spot even without LLM’s. This guy’s video did a great job of advising how to use LLM’s as a tool and avoid brain rot. youtu.be/TPLPpz6dD3A?...

2/3 People should be trained to ask the question, give their answer, and then ask the LLM if they missed anything. Also you can’t trust anything it says and always must request citations with the answers and give order of preference (peer reviewed journals > government databases > Wikipedia). Also,

1/3 I agree with the points in the article but what’s the next step? This is only discussing the negatives. For good or ill LLM’s are only becoming more pervasive, so let’s figure out the good. LLM’s should be a means, not an end. You will cede all your cognitive skills if you only ask for answers.

Hi. Question from an inexperienced person… why are some of these portraits done over letters? The regular spacing of the letters make it seem planned rather than a later drawing done later over the written work.

Some reasons:
- Good intentions, as yet unrealized
- Unrealistic expectations that will never materialize
- Seeking an aspirational connection to intellectual or spiritual ideas; the idea of being part of something
- Wanting to show support to a worthwhile idea even with no intention to read

What to expect next:

– Escalation framed as “restoring order”
– Mass arrests under vague pretexts
– Targeting of protest organisers and journalists
– Expansion of emergency powers
– Demonisation of dissent as “terrorism”