Random Thoughts 7

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Discussion Overview

This thread features a collection of random thoughts and reflections from participants, touching on various topics including nostalgia for a community member, humorous musings about language and technology, reactions to cultural events, and personal anecdotes. The scope includes informal commentary, light-hearted debates, and references to popular media.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express nostalgia for a community member named Evo, with inquiries about her well-being.
  • Humorous reflections on the limitations of AI, particularly regarding the classic tongue twister about woodchucks.
  • Discussion around the cultural impact of the sitcom "Friends," with varying opinions on its characters and humor.
  • References to the founding of Turkey and its implications for secularism, with some light-hearted commentary on food choices.
  • Comments on Neil DeGrasse Tyson's approach to teaching critical thinking, with mixed reactions to his style and audience engagement.
  • Observations about customer service experiences, highlighting a common frustration among participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a light-hearted tone but express differing opinions on various topics, including the humor of "Friends," the effectiveness of Neil DeGrasse Tyson's videos, and cultural sensitivities regarding secularism. No consensus is reached on these matters.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reference specific cultural events or media, which may carry different meanings or implications for different participants. The humor and sentiments expressed are subjective and may not resonate universally.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in informal discussions about popular culture, community dynamics, and light-hearted debates may find this thread engaging.

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Just wanted to have the first " civilian" post in RT 7. Edit: GA!.

Edit: Edit: Removed mine [fresh_42].
 
Random thought: I miss Evo.
 
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phinds said:
Random thought: I miss Evo.
Me too. Anyone know where she is?
 
Hopefully not a self-inflicted mishap with her ban hammer. :olduhh:

But yeah, I haven't seen her in a while either. Hope she's doing OK.
 
No matter how I explained it, I could not get Chat GPT to tell me how much wood my woodchuck could chuck - even after stating that my woodchuck could chuck wood. I may never know.
 
Borg said:
No matter how I explained it, I could not get Chat GPT to tell me how much wood my woodchuck could chuck - even after stating that my woodchuck could chuck wood. I may never know.
How much chat could a chatbot bot if a chatbot could bot chat?

(The meaning of "bot" as a verb is left to the reader's imagination.)
 
Ibix said:
How much chat could a chatbot bot if a chatbot could bot chat?

(The meaning of "bot" as a verb is left to the reader's imagination.)
bot comes directly from robot (Slavian for to work).

German lexicon:
English robot (< Czech robot, to: robota, robot); after the name of the US company “Rossum's Universal Robots” appearing in the 1920 social-utopian drama “R.U.R.” by the Czech writer K. Čapek (1890–1938).
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Roboter

English lexikon:
1923, "mechanical person," also "person whose work or activities are entirely mechanical," from the English translation of the 1920 play "R.U.R." ("Rossum's Universal Robots") by Karel Capek (1890-1938), from Czech robotnik "forced worker," from robota "forced labor, compulsory service, drudgery," from robotiti "to work, drudge," from an Old Czech source akin to Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude," from rabu "slave" (from Old Slavic *orbu-, from PIE *orbh- "pass from one status to another;"
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=robot
 
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WWGD said:
Me too. Anyone know where she is?
Good question. @Greg Bernhardt ?
 
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  • #10
I got my first Chat GPT-like LLM running today that allows me to ask questions about my own documents. I'm having too much fun with this.

:partytime:
 
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  • #11
Saw this book, recommended it to my friend, telling her I thought of her when I saw it, just to play with her head:
Screenshot_20231027_144801_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
  • #12
The research paper is a free PDF file at:
https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~henrich/pdfs/WeirdPeople.pdf
doi:10.1017/S0140525X0999152X

75 pages including 13 pages of references.

The WEIRD is an acronym for:
"Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD)" societies.

Could be an interesting read, think I'll print it for bedtime reading.

Cheers,
Tom

p.s. Amazon has a Kindle version for USD 12.99 and some hardcover, new and used, around USD 20.
 
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  • #13
WWGD said:
Just wanted to have the first " civilian" post in RT 7. Edit: GA!.

Edit: Edit: Removed mine [fresh_42].
What?

BTW, RT 6 reached 11,072. Seemed an odd number to cut off on.

Anyway, pretty shocked at Matthew Perry news. I was forced to watch friends by an Ex and pretty much liked it from the off. I can remember the episode. He popped up in The West wing and was a good character there too. 54 is young but he had some problems historically. RIP
 
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  • #14
pinball1970 said:
What?

BTW, RT 6 reached 11,072. Seemed an odd number to cut off on.

Anyway, pretty shocked at Matthew Perry news. I was forced to watch friends by an Ex and pretty much liked it from the off. I can remember the episode. He popped up in The West wing and was a good character there too. 54 is young but he had some problems historically. RIP
Yes, RIP. Friends seemed to inspire strong reactions for or against. I was one of the few I know who felt neutral towards it.
 
  • #15
pinball1970 said:
BTW, RT 6 reached 11,072. Seemed an odd number to cut off on.
As odd as any other number, and it was probably missed dozens of times of waiting and forgetting at any other non-odd number before.

$$
11072=2^6\cdot 173=2^5(7^3+3)=16^2+104^2\,|\,93^{16}-1
$$
 
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  • #16
WWGD said:
Yes, RIP. Friends seemed to inspire strong reactions for or against. I was one of the few I know who felt neutral towards it.
I cannot see many of the STEM guys being overly keen on it, Friends does have a strong defender in Science however, Ross!
 
  • #17
pinball1970 said:
I cannot see many of the STEM guys being overly keen on it, Friends does have a strong defender in Science however, Ross!
Who's depicted as a nerd in that regard, i.e., the other friends kind of mock, dismiss it.
 
  • #18
fresh_42 said:
As odd as any other number, and it was probably missed dozens of times of waiting and forgetting at any other non-odd number before.

$$
11072=2^6\cdot 173=2^5(7^3+3)=16^2+104^2\,|\,93^{16}-1
$$
As odd as any even number can be!
Edit: Thanks for letting me have the first " Civilian" post in RT 7.
 
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  • #19
WWGD said:
Who's depicted as a nerd in that regard, i.e., the other friends kind of mock, dismiss it.
Yes and no, only the same way they mock Joey for being as struggling actor or Phoebe's awful guitar playing. They support them too.
 
  • #20
pinball1970 said:
Yes and no, only the same way they mock Joey for being as struggling actor or Phoebe's awful guitar playing. They support them too.
True, I guess it's in-between.
I found Phoebes " Smelly cat" bit cringy and thoroughly unfunny, though.
I guess I'm more the " Raymond" type, though they were kind of cruel at times.
 
  • #21
WWGD said:
True, I guess it's in-between.
I found Phoebes " Smelly cat" bit cringy and thoroughly unfunny, though.
I guess I'm more the " Raymond" type, though they were kind of cruel at times.
I guess there were mainly 3 sitcoms back then: Seinfeld, Raymond, Friends.

I liked the first 2, Friends only so-so.
 
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  • #22
1698614400553.png
 
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  • #23
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  • #24
Today's the 100th anniversary of the founding of Turkey.
Screenshot_20231029_212441_Samsung Internet.jpg


I'd celebrate with crispy bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato.
 
  • #25
That founding emphasized secularity and healthy distance from religious content.
No wonder it's a sensitive topic there these days.

WWGD said:
...crispy bacon...
Secularity. Just secularity. Pork is still not a good match.... o0)
 
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  • #26
Rive said:
That founding emphasized secularity and healthy distance from religious content.
No wonder it's a sensitive topic there these days.Secularity. Just secularity. Pork is still not a good match.... o0)
True, I'm being a bit indelicate here. No offense meant.
Would have been interesting if the anniversary coincided with Halloween.
 
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  • #28
phinds said:
@Greg Bernhardt, what DID ever happened to Evo? Inquiring minds want to know :smile:
We have confirmation she is doing well and we hope she stops in soon to update everyone :smile:
 
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  • #29
Greg Bernhardt said:
We have confirmation she is doing well and we hope she stops in soon to update everyone :smile:
That would be great. Thanks for the update.
 
  • #30
WWGD said:
No offense meant
I don't think anybody took any, it was just kind of ... funnily inappropriate :wink:
 
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