Waiting For Guffman is perfect, up there in my Mount Rushmore of comedy films.
The true genius is that where it would be really easy to be mocking these small town people and their hokey play, the movie toes the line flawlessly of making sure the viewer isn’t really laughing AT them all that much. It’s also worth noting that the play itself at the end isn’t a disaster but actually a wonderfully produced show that the audience and town love.
I think Guest’s more recent films went a bit too far into the “mocking” part of the Mocumentary, but Guffman doesn’t.
Also worth mentioning Catherine O’Hara drunk in the Chinese restaurant might be one of the most realistic portrayals of being drunk I’ve seen in a movie.
I think it’s somewhat natural and am not personally surprised. It’s easy to quickly select an option, that has no consequence, compared to actively considering that not selecting something is an option. Not selecting something feels more like actively participating than just checking a box and moving on. /shrug
We -- the people who live in front of a computer -- have been training ourselves to avoid noticing annoyances like captchas, advertising, and GDPR notices for quite a long time.
We find what appears to be the easiest combination "Fuck off, go away" buttons and use them without a moment of actual consideration.
(This doesn't mean that it's actually the easiest method.)
It’s time to reach out to people in areas of your interest.
Ask them out for coffee, beers, a phone call, whatever and collect as much info from them as possible. Get them to dive into how they got there, and what steps they’d recommend you take to get started.
Zoom in on one you feel most confident you’d want to pursue and try and find someone willing to mentor you through the process of getting started. This can be very casual, it doesn’t have to be some formal “meet every month and talk” thing.
I left tech this year and am back in grad school for an area I’ve found a lot of passion in through the above (clinical mental health, for anyone curious).
It took a few years of seeking out a new career but I am very excited for the transition.
The absolute key for me was finding someone practicing in a speciality I wanted to pursue and having them guide me through the steps necessary to get there.
I love that DFW wrote an essay about Lost Highway and used the term “Lynchian” (something horrific sitting right next to something mundane in a scene).
Charlie Rose asked Lynch about the phrase and didn’t really know how to respond.
Rose then brings this up with DFW who kinda chuckles and implies that was what he would expect.
Two extremely talented and intelligent creatives, but where DFW cared quite a bit how he was perceived, I don’t think Lynch ever gave a shit.
Lynch was on another plane of creativity and I’m not sure he even really knew it. He just did what he wanted to do (except for the original Dune film…)and let people take away from it what they might.
I honestly cant say I “enjoy” Lynch films but I will be the first to admit there is heart and soul poured into them by a genius.
Yeah, it's just an ad for Agentforce. They have been aggressively advertising on TV lately.
One ad shows a restaurant seating customers in the rain because they aren't using AI. The other ad shows someone buying clothes that don't match because AI wasn't suggesting them. (They also serve the customer shrimp, which he doesn't like.) Looking at weather forecasts and rescheduling reservations has nothing to do with AI, and I doubt AI can do anything other than write the "we're sorry" message. (Additionally, most restaurants simply ask what food you want before preparing it, so they don't have to worry about feeding you something you don't want.) Meanwhile, choosing matching colors for multiple articles of clothing is at most a satisfiability problem, which again has nothing to do with AI. I also doubt the sales floor staff needs any help with that. There are a fixed number of SKUs and colors. If a customer says "I like this shirt, can you suggest pants", I feel like 98% of adults would be able to competently assist. They also don't get paid very much, so it's unclear what the Salesforce value add is there.
IBM also does a bunch of AI advertising and the gist is that it is being used for air traffic control. Somehow, I doubt that. If AI could replace one pilot on 10% of flights, the airlines would make millions of dollars. They all still have 2, though.
I'd love to see a case study from someone other than the AI vendor. The ideas in the TV commercials aren't even good. Would love to see "well actually we're making a ton of money thanks to these products". The reason we're not seeing it is because it isn't happening.
Like you I am highly skeptical of bullish AI narratives, even if AI clearly represents value.
However, your analysis has one flaw. Our biggest corporate customer is unwilling to give testimonials about our (niche) application, because it represents a competitive advantage for them and they don’t want to educate their competitors.
In theory one could imagine similar mechanisms going on in AI.
I kind of expected that reply and it just sounds like cold fusion to me. "We'll tell you how it works some other time, what matters is that it's going to change the world!" It didn't.
it is happening and lots of it. the reason you may not be seeing it is that people that have figured out how to properly monetise is sure as shit are not going to advertise it… once that are advertising are ones that haven’t yet figured out a way to do it…
This is correct. While there are certainly dark patterns and pain in the ass retention process hoops the company might try and make you jump through, putting in email that you want to cancel, calling and escalating until you talk to someone who will cancel your account, etc. will get your subscription cancelled. Should we have to do this as customers? No, but vote with your wallet and make a note you’d never renew until this kind of shit is fixed and they’ll at some point get the message.
Worked at a few SaaS companies and there are playbooks for retention, upselling, renewals, etc but if a customer wants to cancel, the company will cancel.
I’d put more weight on Carta in this example just having a broken process that I’m sure this negative press will incentivize them to respond and fix.
If you get a chance, try WineCrisp. Loads of flavor and stubbornly crisp. The things keep for months, even in less than ideal storage (such as a fridge), and even after losing a great deal of moisture retain a snappy bite.
Only real downside is that the appearance isn't very flashy; they're the russet potato of modern apples.
I used to always get Pink Lady, but in the past couple of years I've found Kanzi to be better. And somehow my partner gets less allergic from Kanzi as well.
Their green skin can help with inflammation as it contains enzymes that protect T-cells. They're helpful to prevent diabetes and are recommended for diabetics to eat. They're high in phytonutrients and are apparently have the best antimutagenic potential of apple breeds. I think most of their benefits are shared with other green apples.
They've got high fibre content whilst being lower in sugar than other varieties and are good for gut bacteria.
However, the best apple to eat is one that you like as it's better to eat any type of apple than none.
I find that at my local grocery store in NJ, Cosmic Crisps to be more consistently good than Honeycrisps, despite being less crispy. But the best Honeycrisps are better.
Sweetango is also consistently flavorful and crispy and normally better than Cosmic, but the availability is what's inconsistent.
(And a Fuji apple I had in Japan was as good as the best Honeycrisps)
Cosmic crisp is amazing. I also like a good Fuji, though they're not as consistently good. Jazz and Ambrosia can be good as well. It's nice that we have so many varieties to choose from now. When I was a kid it was either Red|Golden "Delicious" or Granny Smith.
This is the way... there's research already at WSU for when the Cosmic Crip runs its course and the world is ready for the next apple with the same basic characteristics.
Don't wait too long though! Because then they get a soft jammy texture that some people absolutely hate. Transitioning into full goo eventually. (Yes that's the case for fuyu too, not just hachiya).
Also some fuyu can still be astringent when very firm / underripe.
Put it in a blender. Lemon juice optional. This will destroy the slimy texture. Fill a glass with the mix and then add cream on the top and you will have a spectacular dessert.
Persimmons are three (four?) totally different fruits in one.
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