A.C. Flory's Blog, page 2

Windows 11 goes AI

I don’t want to scare people who already have a pc running Windows 11 but…things are getting grim with the latest news from Microsoft. The quote below is from Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi:

‘“We think we’re on the cusp of the next evolution, where AI happens not just in that chatbot and gets naturally integrated into the hundreds of millions of experiences that people use every day,” Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, told The Verge in a briefing. “The vision that we have is: let’s rewrite the entire operating system around AI, and build essentially what becomes truly the AI PC.”

I strongly recommend reading the entire story about Microsoft’s plan in this Futurism article [no paywall]. For everyone else, here’s my quick summary:

With support for Windows 10 ended, users will either have to upgrade to Win11 [after buying a new, compatible pc] or keep using Win10 and risk security issues [more on that at the end],Current Windows 11 users will be automatically upgraded to a system in which Copilot [the Windows AI] will be at the heart of the whole operating system. This will include:Voice activation where you ‘talk’ to Copilot instead of manually selecting what you want to do,Copilot Vision where the AI ‘…will be able to see everything that happens on your screen so it can give context-based recommendations and tips.’Copilot Actions ‘…which allow the AI assistant to perform tasks on your local machine, like editing folders or looking stuff up.’

I’m sure that there will be a lot of people out there who think these innovations aren’t such a bad thing. After all won’t it be more convenient to use voice commands instead of having to peck away at a keyboard?

And so what if the AI sees everything on your screen… like the password for your online banking or that ‘interesting’ website that shows artistic nudes doing all sorts of gymnastics or that comment you left about how ugly that person is and how they should just kill themselves because no one wants to look at them or…

As for the AI independently changing things on your pc, what’s so bad about that? You could never find stuff anyway so who cares?

The answer to ‘who cares’ is EVERY ONE! Giving up both your security and your privacy to an AI that belongs to Microsoft and lives in the ‘Cloud’ means that all of your most intimate data will live there too. It won’t be safe on your pc, it will be available to whatever bad actor first discovers how to hack Copilot. Given how full of holes Microsoft software has always been, this is not some airy fairy scifi kind of threat, it is a threat that is simply waiting to happen.

According to the Futurism article:

‘For now, the Copilot features will be technically opt-in, but it’s more than possible that this will change in the future. Remember when Microsoft tried to force everyone to use its last stab at a virtual assistant, Cortana, when Windows 10 came out? That also had voice controls and a host of privacy woes. This time it’ll be different, of course.’

I honestly don’t know what to say to people who are already using Windows 11.

Be careful?

Try not to put anything that is security dependent on your pc?

Good luck?

Seriously, I’ve always believed that AI would become an integral part of our future, but this is not it.

Why?

Because we are not the ones controlling the AI. That is such a huge caveat. Personally, I would get a kick out of having an AI assistant…but only if I owned it. And only if it lived on my pc and NOWHERE ELSE. The reality, however, is that we will neither own Copilot nor control where it ‘lives’ and who gets to see our data.

Do you really trust Microsoft to have YOUR best interests at heart?

For me, I’ll stay with Windows 10 until the programmes I need are no longer supported. Then I will probably leave Windows for good and migrate to Linux. I’ve wanted to get away from Windows for a very long time, but I was worried my tech skills would not be up to the job. Then I worried that I wouldn’t be able to do how-tos. Then I worried that the games I escape to wouldn’t be available…

Now, I’m finding that all three of my fears are proving to be groundless. Linux is a heck of a lot more ‘mainstream’ than it was, and now even my favourite games are being supported. Unfortunately, CorelDraw and Videostudio Pro are not supported, and I’ve invested too much time and money to just walk away. So, I’ll buy a top of the range anti-virus software to protect my Windows 10 pc, I’ll be careful not to get caught by scams, and I’ll wait.

Can you do the same? If you’re still on Windows 10, you CAN use third party software to protect your pc, or you can pay for extended security from Microsoft, or you can investigate some of the Linux offerings to see if any are right for you. Or you can do nothing and just hope that Microsoft won’t abuse your trust.

Have a great weekend,
Meeks

Rick Beato trips up ChatGPT

Rick Beato is:

‘… an American YouTuber, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer; he has also lectured on music at universities.’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Beato

Rick also happens to know a fair bit about math [52 factorial?] AND the limitations of AI. This video was an absolute eye-opener for me because I didn’t expect a math lesson from a musician. Then again, I should have known that math and music are soulmates.

And in case anyone is wondering why I’m posting so many links to Youtube videos, the answer is that my boy Golli is on the way out and asks for cuddles a lot of the time. So we sit at my pc and watch videos together. It makes him happy so I’m happy too.

Cheers,
Meeks

How to get out of quicksand!

Seriously. I’m posting this because one day I may need to write a scene about getting stuck in quick sand. Or…I might get stuck in it for real. Picture the headlines:

“Old lady in Australia saves herself from quicksand thanks to Youtube!”

Now, can anyone tell me why this is so?
Meeks

Review: Pax Dei

Warning: this is a gaming post so non-gamers have my blessing to look away!

Most people who follow my Youtube channel know that I love building things from scratch in all the MMOs I’ve played. Well, Pax Dei is the most recent, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it. That said, the world itself is stunning:

Even if you’re not into MMOs, or videos about MMOs, I’d highly recommend watching the first few minutes of this one, just to see the world.

cheers,
Meeks

The REAL future of AI has just been invented!

Biology has been a key obsession of mine since I was at university, and I still remember the wonder I felt when I learned how a synapse [in the brain] actually works. For those who don’t know, it’s an incredible dance between electrical energy and chemical modulators. And it’s those chemical modulators that have always made me poo poo the current version of AI. A neural network built of nothing but electrical energy can never truly approximate the insanely efficient working of the mammalian brain. The size of the current AI data centres is proof of that.

So, what’s changed? This:

“Scientists have built an artificial neuron that’s so realistic it fires, learns, and responds to chemical signals just like the real thing – a breakthrough that could transform computing, medicine, and the way that tech merges with biology.” Quote from a New Atlas article.

This, my friends, is the first step towards real AI because it allows artificial neurons to function like our own, biological neurons:

“The researchers then added chemical sensors that could detect ions, such as sodium, and neurotransmitters like dopamine. These sensors changed the circuit’s electrical properties in response, mimicking how real neurons adjust their behavior based on chemical signals in their environment; a process known as neuromodulation.” New Atlas.

Let me repeat that:

‘…real neurons adjust their behavior based on chemical signals in their environment…’

Those chemical signals help determine the strength of the electrical signal that is sent on to other neurons. They also help determine which other neurons receive that signal. And it all happens in the synapse.

You can think of the synapse as a lake. Electrical signals arrive on the sure and are picked up by chemical gatekeepers that determine how much will be ferried across to multiple ‘docks’ on the other side. This biological neural activity is ‘analogue’ and helps give human brain cells their insane power and variability.

Let me illustrate the power of variation using a graphical example:

That photo of the kitten’s eye is made up of squillions of pixels – the tiny square containers of colour seen on the super enlarged image on the right. Pixels are digital objects that are used to approximate what we see, or what an old analogue camera used to capture. The important part is that every single pixel is a slightly different shade of colour. Taken together those millions of different shades of colour combine to form a single image that is unique to that moment. The kitten blinks and the angle of the light hitting its eye changes. That, in turn, changes the array of colours that become visible in the eye. Thus, no two photos can ever be exactly the same.

Now, imagine that the chemicals that ‘adjust the behaviour of neurons’ are like the colours in that photo. See what I mean about variability? It is virtually infinite. Oh, and those chemical modulators? They also allow living creatures to feel.

And now artificial neurons will finally come close to what a human brain cell can do. This is the big breakthrough, not the Large Language Models currently impersonating AI. But don’t take my word for it. Read the whole article:

https://newatlas.com/medical-tech/artificial-neuron-mimic-reality-bioelectronics/?utm_source=newsletter.newatlas.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=a-tasty-flu-test&_bhlid=33ee4985f78d8575890c9ca80675f5ea1070255e

Is it a good thing that researchers have worked out how to create ‘wetware’ for artificial intelligences?

I guess only time, and the profit motive, will answer that question. Personally, I hope that all the current Tech Bros go bankrupt or end up in jail before this truly innovative invention becomes commercially viable. It’s too important to leave to the profit motive.

And just for the record, have a look at the two researchers responsible for this breakthrough:

Shuai FuJun Yao

Is it really a coincidence that both lead researchers are Chinese?

Meeks

I can’t stop watching this!

I don’t have an attic but…I want one. lol

Meeks

Soft Secession in the US

“This is what American federalism looks like in 2025: Democratic governors holding emergency sessions on encrypted apps, attorneys general filing lawsuits within hours of executive orders, and state legislatures quietly passing laws that amount to nullification of federal mandates. Oregon is stockpiling abortion medication in secret warehouses. Illinois is exploring digital sovereignty. California has $76 billion in reserves and is deciding how to deploy it. Three sources on those daily Zoom calls between Democratic AGs say the same phrase keeps coming up, though nobody wants to say it publicly: soft secession.

Not the violent rupture of 1861, but something else entirely. Blue states building parallel systems, withholding cooperation, and creating facts on the ground that render federal authority meaningless within their borders.” https://medium.com/@carmitage/its-time-for-americans-to-start-talking-about-soft-secession-8d0183ac94cf

Unlike some of the best Medium articles, this one is NOT locked behind a paywall and should be mandatory reading for all Americans who are not affiliated with m.a.g.a.

I have to admit that as an Australian, this article gave me hope for the US, hope for the world’s shared future. The Democrats can’t, or won’t do anything to rock the political boat so now it may well be up to the Blue states to save democracy in America. Fingers crossed Project 2025 hasn’t already got this eventuality war-gamed.

cheers,
Meeks

Courage, determination, SKILL…

I strongly recommend watching this Short on Youtube so you can get the full impact of how high the bar was set. Respect!

“Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis flew over the bar at 6 metres and 30 centimetres to break his own world pole vault record at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday 15 September.”

https://www.olympics.com/en/news/mondo-duplantis-world-record-gold-world-athletics-championships-2025-pole-vault

Happy Sunday,
Meeks

Jacinda Ardern: empathy in leadership

I know a lot of New Zealanders were disappointed that Jacinda Ardern’s government didn’t do more, didn’t reform more, didn’t fix more of the systemic problems of the country, but…over here in Australia, we watched her and wished she were our Prime Minister.

This is an interview Jacinda Ardern did on the Jon Stewart show [in the US]. It showcases the qualities that kind, caring women can bring to politics. At the end though, she pointed to two male leaders putting an emphasis on kindness: Anthony Albanese of Australia and Mark Carney of Canada. Why aren’t more leaders bucking the trend and emphasising the good in humanity?

Oh, and the interview is actually very funny in spots!

cheers,
Meeks

Istanbul: Cat paradise!

This Short makes me so happy. A whole, bloody CITY full of compassionate, caring people. And a government that mandates that compassion. This is how life should be in all our cities.

Meeks