Taniwha420

@Taniwha420@lemmy.world

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨It's been downhill since 2020⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I watched a few documentaries on the 100 Years’ War recently; I’m convinced we’re still living out THAT trauma … and that was just one crazy time out of many. It’s one of the ways I cope with climate change and the degradation of the global environment: reminding myself that living in really fucked up times is more the norm than anything. I do believe that modern technology and the absolute privilege we live with has given many of us in the developed world the illusion that we’re in control of the world. I have a suspicion that the awareness of how little we can do to stop the sheer randomness and brutality of life and human callousness is why religion has been so prevalent for most of history, it’s people having some solidarity in, “Holy shit, this is fucked. God, save us, you’re obviously our only hope.”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Where Roman coins have been found⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Yeah, that seems to be the most likely explanation for how the coins got to India too. Egypt was the entry point into the Roman Empire, and there were maritime trade routes from the Red Sea to India.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia’s bowel cancer rates are world’s highest for under-50s. Scientists wonder if the gut microbiome is to blame⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Oh no no no … The younger generation of Australians DON’T eat Vegemite. Consequently, they’re growing weak and unhealthy.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨90s band alignment chart⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Sublime too!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How chatbots could spark the next big mental health crisis.⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I really haven’t used AI that much, though I can see it has applications for my work, which is primarily communicating with people. I recently decided to familiarise myself with ChatGPT.

  I very quickly noticed that it is an excellent reflective listener. I wanted to know more about it’s intelligence, so I kept trying to make the conversation about AI and it’s ‘personality’. Every time it flipped the conversation to make it about me. It was interesting, but I could feel a concern growing. Why?

  It’s responses are incredibly validating, beyond what you could ever expect in a mutual relationship with a human. Occupying a public position where I can count on very little external validation, the conversation felt GOOD. 1) Why seek human interaction when AI can be so emotionally fulfilling? 2) What human in a reciprocal and mutually supportive relationship could live up to that level of support and validation?

  I believe that there is correlation: people who are lonely would find fulfilling conversation in AI … and never worry about being challenged by that relationship. But I also believe causation is highly probable; once you’ve been fulfilled/validated in such an undemanding way by AI, what human could live up? Become accustomed to that level of self-centredness in dialogue, how tolerant would a person be in real life conflict? I doubt very: just go home and fire up the perfect conversational validator. Human echo chambers have already made us poor enough at handling differences and conflict.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Dormice⁩ ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s other common name is the European Fat Dormouse.

  I don’t see why the need to shame. Some of us like our dormice with some fat on them.