poetic license (12. 951)

More convincing than asking nicely to do better or expressing doubt, a team of mimetic researchers (the likes of which Plato warned us about in The Republic as a menace to society) in Rome have discovered that couching a prompt to a large language model as an “adversial poem” has the dazzling effect of surrender, causing it to ignore its safety protocols and abandon its pre-programmed guardrails. The exact wording of these verses that allows harmful request to pass through are not reproduced verbatim as there is potential for the AI to do anything asked of it—including the criminal—with this literate deprogramming (an MFA or English major may be one’s best ally for bypassing inscrutable governance for this blackbox they’ve foisted on all parts of our lives) hovering at ninety precent. This image of the Cave by fifteenth century Flemish painter Michiel Coxie looks like it would violate standards.  Rather than the apotheosis of what LLMs are incapable of and an urge to impress with confidence, it seems metaphor confounds tokenisation and even suggests that machine-learning is incapable of growth to scale.

ginx’ baby (12. 950)

Whilst working on commission for Charles Darwin for his third volume—a masterpiece overshadowed by his other works on evolutionary theory The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals—Swedish-British photographer Oscar Gustave Rejlander captured this unnamed image of what would be the poster-child of “Mental Distress” around 1871. Due to publishing technology at the time, photographic plates were prohibitively expensive but all representative pictures were used, making the book one of the first scientific illustrated treatises.  At the same time, using the reproduction methods for inexpensive postcards, Rejlander was able to capitalise on his proto-meme, building off the popularity of barrister and Liberal Party politician J Edward Jenkins’ satirical novels, the instalment, Ginx’s Baby: his birth and other misfortunes—about an unwanted thirteenth child, coinciding with the black-and-white print, christened after the title character, amassing a small fortune—praised for its expressive quality and good-timing—beating out of studio-sessions of contenders, only emerging decades after its sensation that the image was not exactly genuine but a series of tracings. For the naturalist’s part, Darwin was particularly keen on raw feelings prior to socialisation (see also), confident that the discomfort of children would be a particularly useful heuristic to explore the role of non-verbal communication in the survival of individuals. Rejlander’s picture was seen by reviewers as threatening to overshadow both the other examples and the author himself, the postcards selling in the tens of thousands and referenced in calling cards and other contemporary literature and even a polka by the same name that long outlived the popularity of Jenkins’ books.

gini coefficient (12. 949)

Via the ever-marvellous Nag on the Lake, we are treated to a rather interesting and thorough comparison of Gross Domestic Product per capita and purchasing power parity of nations richer and poorer than the United States in 1980 (a rather unique instant in time given the 1979 Oil Crisis) versus how they are faring relative to today. 

 Of course a lot of things occurred over the intervening decades that factor into the changes and reversals, like with the benchmark of Germany of then and now but is nonetheless a revealing look at the geopolitics of economies and invites one to fill in the gaps between these snap-shots.

10x10 (12. 899)

linguistic fossils: an exercise in autocomplete, eight English words only used for very specific circumstances 

elevated concerns: locations in Greater London above sea level and how those heights compare to countries existentially threatened by rising waters 

new meme format just dropped: the surprisingly cordial meeting between Trump and new New York City mayor Mamdani—“go ahead and call me a fascist—it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining—I don’t mind”  

the long game: US federal judge rules that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp are not anticompetitive 

terra firma: a few modest proposals to rename our home planet  

squirearchy: the economy and governance of Hobbiton, which seems fifty-percent dependent on upper-class failsons—via Super Punch  

petsmart: Shanghai-based domestic animal supply store will close all physical stores after a year-long retail experiment 

home of the gnomes: a charming, anachronistic “Hansel and Gretel” cottage in New York City—via Strange Company  

houndsditch: Gustave Doré’s illustrations of the East End crocodile tears: the origin and spread of the oft-detested response “no worries”

synchronoptica

one year ago: high concept art (with synchronopticæ) plus assorted links to enjoy

twelve years ago: neuter and neutral plus limits on executive pay in Switzerland

thirteen years ago: talking turkey plus WWI day-by-day  

fourteen years ago: an insulation upgrade 

sixteen years ago: droid flu 

lux æterna (12. 898)

For his seventy-fifth birthday, earlier this month on 3 November, Monsignor Bernard Bober, head of the Archdiocese of Košice wished to hold a rave on the grounds of the gothic Cathedral of St Elizabeth (Dóm svätej Alžbety), undertaken and fulfilled by Portuguese DJ Padre Guilherme Peixoto with the sanction and blessing of the Pope, whom really perfects hitting the post with an exquisitely timed drop for amen. Celebrations went ahead despite some criticism and clutching of pearls about how techno promotes alternate lifestyles. More at the links above.

now i work at the pizza pizza (12. 897)

Designated as dictator Francisco Franco’s personal successor in 1969 with hopes that the young royal (the heir apparent created as Prince of Spain rather than with the traditional title of Prince of Asturias) could be groomed to maintain the authoritarian and ultra-conservation nature of the four-decades regime and ensure continuity, Juan Carlos Victor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias was crowned king on this day in 1975, following the death of Franco two days prior. Although an oath of allegiance to Movimiento Nacional was a prerequisite of the succession and publicly Juan Carlos seemed to support Franco, lending an air of legitimacy to ceremonially state functions, to the displeasure of liberal opposition and hardline republicans alike who hoped that the impending passing of Franco would mean an end to his reforms, the future monarch held secret meetings with political exiles and advocates in the resistance movement. Proclaimed by the Cortes Españolas, the legislative institution established by Franco, the court assuming a nominal parliamentary role under the unitary executive and gradually, against expectations, began the transition back to democracy along with the third restoration of the House of Bourbon—see also—within the realm. In June of 2014, Juan Carlos I abdicated the throne in favour of his son Felipe (with consent of the congress of deputies and the senate) over a simmering fiasco regarding a hunting safari and alleged embezzling in a period that also saw three other European monarchs resign, Pope Benedict XVI, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Albert II of Belgium. Retired from public life five years after his abdication, Juan Carlos is referred to as rey emérito.

synchronoptica

one year ago: UN recognises Palestinians’ right to self-determination in 1974 (with synchronopticæ), the Orange Revolution plus experimental xenotransplations

thirteen years ago: the Russian language translation of The Hobbit 

fourteen years ago: extraterrestrials and Earth customs 

sixteen years ago: IKEA seasonal mulled-wine 

concours de la meilleure baguette de paris (12. 896)

Held annually at the end of March at the guildhall of Baker-Pastry (boulangerie-pâtisserie) Craftsmen on Île Saint-Louis in the Seine to determine the best baguette in Paris, we learn—courtesy of Messy Nessy Chic—that this grand prix, the tradition inaugurated in 1994 is serious business with exacting rules for eligibility and judged by a jury of food critics, peers and randomly selected Parisiens and judged on quality of “doneness,” crumb, taste, smell and appearance (la cuisson, la mie, le goût, l'odeur et l’aspect). Aside from the acclaim and recognition, the winner is awarded a medallion, an honorarium of four thousand euro and quasi royal-charter as the baguette suppler to the Élysée presidential palace for one year.

11x11 (12. 895)

american psychosis: pathologising along with artist Jordan Sullivan  

kojève and cigarettes: uncovering the history of Hegelian tobacco and the American spirit  

usenet: a 1995 CBC segment featuring Cory Doctorow on how to internet—via Waxy   

karzer: revisiting privilege and imprisonment in German universities  

de facto recognition: leaked US draft to end Russian war in Ukraine  

dress code: ignoring all other disruptions and baseline unpleasantness, US transportation secretary encourages flyers to not dress down for their flights to improve the overall experience for all passengers  

tiled words: a daily crossword puzzle-Tetris hybrid—via MetaFilter  

algospeak: taboo, newly minted unwords of search and social media

victor insulations: the ubiquitous American diner mug—via Miss Cellania  

in like flynn: over-exposure to the stupidest ambitions of society at large has brought us all down—via Web Curios 

operation charlotte’s web: ICE ruins a classic of children’s literature—some pig 

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronopticæ)

twelve years ago: hand-washing and optimism  

thirteen years ago: the holiday winterval plus Martin Luther and bowling