Random Thoughts 7

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion titled "Random Thoughts 7" features a variety of topics, including nostalgia for a missing member named Evo, humorous musings about chatbots, and reflections on popular culture, particularly the TV show "Friends." Participants express their thoughts on the recent passing of actor Matthew Perry and share personal anecdotes, such as near-misses with deer while driving. The conversation also touches on the significance of the term "robot" and its etymology, as well as the challenges of transitioning from undergraduate to graduate studies.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of chatbot functionality and natural language processing.
  • Familiarity with popular culture references, particularly TV shows like "Friends."
  • Knowledge of basic driving safety and wildlife interactions.
  • Awareness of the significance of the term "robot" in historical and linguistic contexts.
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the capabilities of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs).
  • Research the cultural impact of "Friends" and its characters on modern media.
  • Investigate wildlife safety measures for drivers in rural areas.
  • Study the etymology of technological terms and their evolution over time.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for casual forum users, pop culture enthusiasts, and individuals interested in the intersection of technology and language. It also serves as a resource for those reflecting on societal changes and personal experiences related to driving and wildlife.

  • #1,651
Just made it up "May the 'Best Day of your Life' know no upper bound"

Based on the song by that name.
 
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  • #1,652
Screenshot 2025-08-14 at 10.35.50 AM.webp
 
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  • #1,653
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  • #1,654
I just asked ChatGPT to tell me which countries have populations that are closest to Mordor.

It gave me a detailed top 5 and seemed to be enjoying itself :oldlaugh:

It can be brutally honest if you phrase questions correctly.
 
  • #1,655
BillTre said:
Wonder what the leftmost guy would look next to Yao. Better not to have them next to each other; Yao may accidentally step on him.
 
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  • #1,656
BillTre said:
They call "The Rock"'s son, "Prudential": A piece of the rock(Rock).
 
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  • #1,657
Wow, almost even scary when you ask a followup to a 9 year old online question and you get an answer some 30 seconds afterwards.
 
  • #1,658
Weird to see my phone notification song used in a movie.
 
  • #1,659
My next vacation can't start soon enough.
 
  • #1,660
Interesting chart:
Screenshot_20250825_115035_YouTube.webp
 
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  • #1,661
I'm on vacation and my wife invited her widowed friend to join us. So here I am walking around a beach resort getting strange looks like I have two wives. The look that we got from one woman at dinner was too funny.

I've decided to just own it. 😆
 
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  • #1,662
Borg said:
I'm on vacation and my wife invited her widowed friend to join us. So here I am walking around a beach resort getting strange looks like I have two wives. The look that we got from one woman at dinner was too funny.

I've decided to just own it. 😆
Maybe could've tried vacationing in Utah. They go more by " Eight is Enough". Or so I hear.
 
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  • #1,663
I'm guessing that the woman at dinner drew the same conclusion about our arrangement.
 
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  • #1,664
Borg said:
I'm on vacation and my wife invited her widowed friend to join us. So here I am walking around a beach resort getting strange looks like I have two wives. The look that we got from one woman at dinner was too funny.

I've decided to just own it. 😆
Pictures would have been interesting. :cool:
 
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  • #1,665
Borg said:
I'm on vacation and my wife invited her widowed friend to join us. So here I am walking around a beach resort getting strange looks like I have two wives. The look that we got from one woman at dinner was too funny.

I've decided to just own it. 😆
A few years ago I actually took two women out for dinner. It was certainly a new kind of social challenge!

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.
 
  • #1,666
The other day I caught Smerconish (CNN political show) invoking Ockham's Razor; incorrectly of course.

"The obvious answer is almost always correct"

Now how much should I trust his interpretation of current events? Egad!!!!
 
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  • #1,667
Ivan Seeking said:
The other day I caught Smerconish (CNN political show) invoking Ockham's Razor; incorrectly of course.

"The obvious answer is almost always correct"

Now how much should I trust his interpretation of current events? Egad!!!!
You're not likely to find someone who gets everything right. He may have also failed while trying to simplify a point. Now, if you catch them making 3-4 mistakes in a short time that's a clearer indication of ineptitude.
 
  • #1,668
WWGD said:
You're not likely to find someone who gets everything right. He may have also failed while trying to simplify a point. Now, if you catch them making 3-4 mistakes in a short time that's a clearer indication of ineptitude.
My take is he is intellectually sloppy and doesn't do his homework. I often watch him because there isn't much else interesting to watch at 6 AM on Saturday mornings. And lately he has been annoying me. But this degree of sloppiness shocked me. I expected better than that.
 
  • #1,669
Ivan Seeking said:
My take is he is intellectually sloppy and doesn't do his homework. I often watch him because there isn't much else interesting to watch at 6 AM on Saturday mornings. And lately he has been annoying me. But this degree of sloppiness shocked me. I expected better than that.
Ok. I haven't owned a TV for a while. What annoys me is people in YT who drop by videos and comment on how they don't like a song, sport, etc? Just don't watch it then.
 
  • #1,670
Final exam in Astronomy administered by Carl Sagan.
 
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  • #1,671
Being old, I did a search yesterday, on how likely I am to get a hip fracture.
Today, I looked at the growth of the S&P 500 Index fund.

The equation today, looked spookily familiar.

Upon confirmation, it reminded me of the old Pirates vs 'something or other' not-a-correlation.

That is all.

1756672120255.webp



ps. References available on request.
 
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  • #1,672
1756681868635.webp
 
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  • #1,673
Fun Fact: Many years ago, my uncle ran the service department at a very large GM dealership in Los Angeles. This place was huge! They had a service center dedicated to servicing large busses. And many of these busses were the personal busses of celebrities who used them for travel; mainly movie stars and musicians. Since he ran the department, my uncle could check out a bus for some bogus reason and take them for a personal road trip. No one knew the difference. He was the boss.

One year my uncle, his wife and daughter, my ex and I, and I think my sister all took Willy Nelson's bus on a 1000-mile road test for a week to visit other family members. Because of my work on mobile CAT scanners and MRI, which were on large busses and tractor trailers, I was licensed to drive a bus. So was my uncle. So off we went. It was very nice inside a heck of a way to travel.

Guess what we found in a tray under one of the beds.

1756683687119.webp

1756683250657.webp
 
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  • #1,674
hcqAfVpT5ZFQV4eb9&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-dus1-1.webp
 
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  • #1,675
fresh_42 said:
And if by some miracle it remains intact, it will circumnavigate the galaxy in 400-450 million years.

More likely it will merge with an alien probe, become a lifeform, and return to earth looking for its creator.
 
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  • #1,676
What I am going to tell you about is what we teach our physics students in the third or fourth year of graduate school...

It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don't understand it. You see my physics students don't understand it... That is because I don't understand it.

Nobody does.

Richard P. Feynman, QED, The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
 
  • #1,677
Ivan Seeking said:
[...] merge with an alien probe, become a lifeform, and return to earth looking for its creator.

We'll have to wait for the launch of Voyager 6 first. (Voyager 1 doesn't make the cut.)
 
  • #1,678
Doh! It happened again.

Was trying again to figure out the probability of me breaking my hip, when an intermediary graph reminded me of solar panel output graphs from my younger years.

linear-ish, then whoa!, then linear-ish again.

I'm blaming this on Martin Gardner. That bastard got me REALLY going.

1756851607156.webp
 
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  • #1,679
Name that show! (Hint: Does not have the word "Happy" in the title.)

1756925041909.webp
 
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  • #1,680
Attn: NFL recruiters:
 

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