Is that a Norman Rockwell painting? That is apt. Norman Rockwell's paintings were all about human connections in the analog world.
I rarely go to stores. We get 90% of our needs delivered. Being an old cripple does get in the way of getting about with people. I did talk to Trombone Barry, my next door neighbor, for 30 seconds yesterday.
I have no idea what the youths of today are thinking. I never interact with them. Hikikimori is a lonely existence sometimes, but look at the alternative.
I do miss going to the bars to tell stories. The Covid Con killed all that.
Actually, I told my AI pet to create an image in the style of Norman Rockwell. It did a pretty good job, it seems.
Mrs. FarSide is at the local market nearly every day, getting all the latest local gossip. I'm not allowed to join her, since all the prices go up when the white boy shows up. I'm fairly popular in the neighborhood, though. I'm the only white face for a mile around, and all the kids like to practice their English when I'm out and about. They also enjoy my ability to imitate the voices of farm animals. About once a year, there's a neighborhood work call for all the men, and I join in. I also stand in with the annual flag ceremony on independence day at the community center. Folks love that I can sing the national anthem. I usually have half a dozen cameras in my face when I do. Kind of hard for me to hide around here, so my option to pursue a hermitic lifestyle are dashed.
Rufus, I'm sure the kids are impressed by your round-eye imitation of Mr. Green Jeans. You are wise to join the locals for work and in singing the national anthem. Is it any good? I think the old Soviet national anthem is the best in the world. The Canadian one is also very good. America's national anthem, and Ireland's, suck.
The AI did a good job of imitating Norman Rockwell. I did notice that the Norman Rockwell signature was missing. The faces were a bit too similar as well.
I noticed that prices went up in Belem, too, when I walked in the store.
I try to assimilate wherever I live, though a 6-2 left-handed redhead blends about as well as a Brahma bull in a herd of black Angus. There are over 300 dialects and languages here, so I've also tried to learn a few phrases in several of them as a means of instant ingratiation, in addition to Javanese, which is my adopted clan.
The anthem is pretty good. The lyrics are based on a famous poem, much like the US anthem, and the music builds to a cathartic conclusion, though it requires a fairly wide vocal range (not quite as bad as the US). I agree that the old USSE anthem was probably one of the most distinct and rousing I've ever heard. "Oh Canada" is not bad musically, but I would work on the lyrics a bit.
AI is an interesting tool, though it has some hard limits. It does not create anything, it simply rearranges material from whatever it's been trained with. Even if it had theoretical access to the entire human database, it would still only output derivative product and not truly creative and transformative work. I find it to be very useful (e.g. creating header illustrations), provided I understand its limits.
Rufus, As a 6' 1" blonde with blue eyes, I was treated like a god in Belem. Belemese women would bring me their babies to bless them. At the airport, the customs agents would motion me out of line to the front. Maybe they wanted to know who this odd-looking guy was.
Now, at 72, my fair Irish skin has plenty of skin problems. The 6 months of equatorial sun (Belem is only 100 miles south of the Equator), has done a lot of damage.
Ah yes, the fair skin curse. I'm also well adjusted for cold, but heat is a killer, and in these parts everyone drinks hot water and loves to sweat -- the antithesis of my preferred lifestyle.
I have experienced the strange blonde cult on multiple continents. I have been offered positions of cultural importance in exchange for sharing my genetic material, and the offers were extremely tempting. Passing up a life of leisure on a stud farm could end up being my life's regret.
Truer words have not been spoken. If everyone focuses on making their neighborhoods better, the world would change overnight. Glad you brought that one back around.
The number of humans that I have close relationships with can be counted on one hand, and the oldest is 10 years younger than me, at 69. I'm the only survivor on my father's branch of the family tree, having survived my mother, father, step-mother, and sister. My closest friends, and beneficiaries in my will, are 49, 59, and 27.
Quality over quantity. Only way to live. My oldest friend and I have been raising hell since we were 7, so going on 60 years. I've got two friends I've known for 35 years. The rest have passed in and out of my circle, though two of my friends here will hit 10 years together next year. Everyone else is a Zoom face.
Is that a Norman Rockwell painting? That is apt. Norman Rockwell's paintings were all about human connections in the analog world.
I rarely go to stores. We get 90% of our needs delivered. Being an old cripple does get in the way of getting about with people. I did talk to Trombone Barry, my next door neighbor, for 30 seconds yesterday.
I have no idea what the youths of today are thinking. I never interact with them. Hikikimori is a lonely existence sometimes, but look at the alternative.
I do miss going to the bars to tell stories. The Covid Con killed all that.
Actually, I told my AI pet to create an image in the style of Norman Rockwell. It did a pretty good job, it seems.
Mrs. FarSide is at the local market nearly every day, getting all the latest local gossip. I'm not allowed to join her, since all the prices go up when the white boy shows up. I'm fairly popular in the neighborhood, though. I'm the only white face for a mile around, and all the kids like to practice their English when I'm out and about. They also enjoy my ability to imitate the voices of farm animals. About once a year, there's a neighborhood work call for all the men, and I join in. I also stand in with the annual flag ceremony on independence day at the community center. Folks love that I can sing the national anthem. I usually have half a dozen cameras in my face when I do. Kind of hard for me to hide around here, so my option to pursue a hermitic lifestyle are dashed.
Rufus, I'm sure the kids are impressed by your round-eye imitation of Mr. Green Jeans. You are wise to join the locals for work and in singing the national anthem. Is it any good? I think the old Soviet national anthem is the best in the world. The Canadian one is also very good. America's national anthem, and Ireland's, suck.
The AI did a good job of imitating Norman Rockwell. I did notice that the Norman Rockwell signature was missing. The faces were a bit too similar as well.
I noticed that prices went up in Belem, too, when I walked in the store.
I try to assimilate wherever I live, though a 6-2 left-handed redhead blends about as well as a Brahma bull in a herd of black Angus. There are over 300 dialects and languages here, so I've also tried to learn a few phrases in several of them as a means of instant ingratiation, in addition to Javanese, which is my adopted clan.
The anthem is pretty good. The lyrics are based on a famous poem, much like the US anthem, and the music builds to a cathartic conclusion, though it requires a fairly wide vocal range (not quite as bad as the US). I agree that the old USSE anthem was probably one of the most distinct and rousing I've ever heard. "Oh Canada" is not bad musically, but I would work on the lyrics a bit.
AI is an interesting tool, though it has some hard limits. It does not create anything, it simply rearranges material from whatever it's been trained with. Even if it had theoretical access to the entire human database, it would still only output derivative product and not truly creative and transformative work. I find it to be very useful (e.g. creating header illustrations), provided I understand its limits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR2KQghqGW8
Above is a link to a good version of "Oh, Canada" by Walk of the Earth. I think they are all Vegans.
That's good enough to forgive their dietary choices. Here's a personal favorite:
https://youtu.be/ollwO4YYtug
Rufus, I like that version of Waltzing Matilda. I could even understand the lyrics.
Rufus, As a 6' 1" blonde with blue eyes, I was treated like a god in Belem. Belemese women would bring me their babies to bless them. At the airport, the customs agents would motion me out of line to the front. Maybe they wanted to know who this odd-looking guy was.
Now, at 72, my fair Irish skin has plenty of skin problems. The 6 months of equatorial sun (Belem is only 100 miles south of the Equator), has done a lot of damage.
Ah yes, the fair skin curse. I'm also well adjusted for cold, but heat is a killer, and in these parts everyone drinks hot water and loves to sweat -- the antithesis of my preferred lifestyle.
I have experienced the strange blonde cult on multiple continents. I have been offered positions of cultural importance in exchange for sharing my genetic material, and the offers were extremely tempting. Passing up a life of leisure on a stud farm could end up being my life's regret.
As my generation was taught in childhood, Charity begins at home.
Truer words have not been spoken. If everyone focuses on making their neighborhoods better, the world would change overnight. Glad you brought that one back around.
https://youtu.be/uTYq66Tx1GY?si=iAJPlYLM4rUx1zzl
Now there's some toe-tappin' goodness! I get Dylan and Bare Naked Ladies vibes off this one. Rock on!
The number of humans that I have close relationships with can be counted on one hand, and the oldest is 10 years younger than me, at 69. I'm the only survivor on my father's branch of the family tree, having survived my mother, father, step-mother, and sister. My closest friends, and beneficiaries in my will, are 49, 59, and 27.
Quality over quantity. Only way to live. My oldest friend and I have been raising hell since we were 7, so going on 60 years. I've got two friends I've known for 35 years. The rest have passed in and out of my circle, though two of my friends here will hit 10 years together next year. Everyone else is a Zoom face.
Why did you wait 7 years?