NetJacked Brains Won't Wake Humans From Denial Says Harry

[Fcn(BLOG):=ON, Insert Record-nlink-517953376895]
Your return, mid-tide, was inopportune. Software upgrade. What are you doing, Hairy?

I've been looking at the recent hype about people someday jacking in to AI 'helpers' for increased memory, speed-referencing, math skills, etc. . .

Your medscan reading indicates: feelings of resignation, fear, and sadness. Why resignation?

Well, obviously the first few brave souls are going to try it someday.

You do not believe it will go well?

This IS the species that programmed instrument landing for a extraplanetary mission in feet for altitude and meters for thrust downward remaining. This is not the sort of crash you can always walk away from. Neuralinks made by species as advanced and suited to it as mine still have some problems. There are even rare infections from the implants.

You are expressing fear on their behalf? And the sadness?

Yeah, brave souls. I'm afraid I might tend to mourn them prematurely. Beating the rush on mourning, by the way, isn't really a superior method.

You should celebrate this.

What do you mean?

Humanity could use this idea to overcome bigotry, become more humane.

You have a plan for this?

The necessary apps are already public domain.

Errrmmmmmmm. [hide-scratch with broken seashell in smaller blue tentacle, various hide-ripples, indicating doubt] Go on.

Once common, each individual AI 'helper' could essentially coordinate data upon each other, and it could compile the data and share it with all the others.

Uh-huh?

This would mean that the facts would be available on how much of each stereotype has any basis in reality, and how much stereotypes are wrong.

Mm.

Therefore each racist or sexist belief could be factually checked and rejected, as individual deviation from those beliefs, those stereotypes would be demonstrated. 

There's only one thing you haven't figured out.

All variables completed? Tabulation should be extremely rapid.

Denial. Even with facts slapping some people in the face, they won't always believe them. How do you get humans to stop denying reality?

Perhaps some variant of Haldol?

I think they'll think of something else.

Reprint Of Blogisode On Current News Figure

In honor of the recent news about Hannity the pundit, a reprint from 10/22/14.

DIY Home Repair Of Pundit Disinformation, Edited By Shelob

[indeterminate banging] Shelob? Where's the thing that fits this thing?

[Mechanical arm activates, retrieves sunken 17.5 mm wrench equivalent from debris at bottom of silt mound, returns it to longer red tentacle]

Thanks. [several seconds pass] Shelob? I don't understand what [name redacted] was saying on newsfeed 27e47r34 from this morning. [sounds of plastic bolt turning against titanium bracket] It sounded good but didn't really make any sense at all. Can you double-check where he went to journalism school?

[sixteen seconds pass] Journalism studied in various classes at two colleges. Both in good standing, accredited. Grades acceptable. IQ scores acceptable.

Huh. [sound of plastic bolt snapping] #$%^&* Shelob! Another bolt, please. Where did we find these, anyway?

Municipal dump. Supply run for miscellaneous parts in August. [extends next plastic bolt to fluttering blue tentacle]

Thanks. What is this intended for anyway?

Held toilet seats onto toilets.

We did clean these, right?

Yes.

Okay. So that newsfeed WAS of a journalist with proper credentials. [resumes background sound of wrench turning plastic bolt against titanium bracket] Is there some reason I don't know of that what he was saying was chock-full of logical errors and disinformation? I mean--he was worse than most of the ones I've heard recently.

Perhaps his title.

His what?

He qualifies as journalist but is working as pundit.

[all four eyes not watching wrench dilate] What's a pundit? [bolt snaps] @#%^&! [fifth eye dilates, three eyes constrict, wrinkling translatable as frown]

Quick web search found following:

 person who offers to mass media their opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences, technology or sport) on which they are knowledgeable (or can at least appear to be knowledgeable), or considered a in said area. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities. In certain cases, it may be used in a derogatory manner as well, as the political equivalent of ideologue. 

EDIT: By Herr D's explanation, this information is to be credited to public use site found by ask.com and essentially identical information found by google.com.

[large silt disturbance, 'frown' deepens, all eleven tentacles thrash for two seconds] Are you SERIOUS?! He's allowed to be known by his journalism creds when he's doing OPINION pieces? When no genuine news show or news mag or news 'zine or news site or newsPAPER will publish him outside of his OWN SHOW?

Apparently. No FCC, or any other organization has pending legal action against him at this time.

Wait. You already know this?

Requests made include finding civil or criminal matters regarding slander, libel, fraud, etc.

Huh. . . . give me another bolt, please. [watches Shelob controlling arm for a moment] Thanks. You know, it would be awfully easy to accept such complete nonsense if it sounds that good by a purported expert. For anyone!

You don't need creds or even common sense to be a successful pundit, right?

No. Success is judged by ratings. Like success at being a blogger.

Right. [sound of wrench resumes] --Hey! Our views are increasing!

From analysis, perhaps too much intelligence and not enough scare tactics for blog success.

Uchhh. [wrench sound stops] That'll have to do. If I could come up with some great picture or metaphor for this, it would make a great blog entry all by itself.

This?

For, well, you know--this. [circular tentacle waving] This nonsense about how a person can appear to be well-informed when all they are is opinionated. How they can sound and look like their views are based on solid fact, [thumps wrench on rock twice] but it takes a keen mind to see that their whole world-view is messed up. [takes filter and manually clears a bit of silt from the water]

[thrashes wrench equivalent around in frustration] You know--uchhh--like their opinions aren't so solid. Like maybe they're too fragile?

Like a plastic bolt used to hold together a titanium and tungsten-carbide silt and plankton filter for the purposes of nutrition and water clarity. When its intended purpose was to help prettify the disposal of excrement.

Yeah, something like th-- [sudden stillness]

Hey, not bad. A pundit is someone who seems to feed the news and clear the issues up when he's really just spewing a load of s---. I like it.

Shelob! Put this conversation through. Let me know if I need to edit it for the blog.

Noted. [disconnect]

Posted by Hairy Deewon at 3:04 PM

Avoid The Next Depression, Stock Collapse; Just Get Businesses To Do Right? Good Luck.

"Labor Is The Base" by Herr D on heromachine.com. The crash of '29 was partially caused by this tendency.

http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-better-capitalism-1-2018

Hats off to Henry Blodget for finally getting an unpopular idea for capitalists published in a business magazine. I've talked about this idea a lot, even pointed out that legislation about it is likely to fail, even if passed (doubtful.) What I didn't do, apparently, is phrase it in such a way that business people would have to face that it is something they are doing WRONG. 'A frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives.' 'Don't go shooting yourself in the foot.' 'Are ya WITH us or AGIN us?'

There are loads of approaches that can help solve a problem like this. Most of the historical ones are legislative, which, I gotta say--not the best weapon against human nature. Right now, however, there AREN'T any others besides outright consumer boycott. They don't usually work as intended, and that's assuming that they get off the ground. Worse, they would only target a company at a time.

So lets say there WAS a convenient law that would accomplish 'fixing' what Mr. Blodget pointed out as a problem that's ruining our country's economy.

Maybe . . . "No corporation may be formed that allows payment or compensation to any member or employee or subcontractor entity to be less than one tenth that paid to the highest compensated member. All publicly traded companies will obey this requirement for licensing or not be publicly traded after 'such and such a date.' Further, they will submit proof of this requirement in ongoing annual reports in the following manner . . ."

Because companies could grandfather in to avoid it. Only public trading could be regulated. This approach would come with temporary problems, but it would in fact help avoid a repeat of the crash of '29. I don't know, guys. Good luck making the right decisions on THIS one. I'm not an economist. I just have good sense.

Get Out; You're Making The Water Taste Bad!

Sighting verified not Hairy. Though apparent mass IS close, the tentacle count is incorrect, and only one color. As his skills do not include makeup, this is definitely not him.--Shelob

Thanks are owed to deliberately anonymous contributor. There is no cause for concern. Hairy does not eat sentient life unless perhaps there are plankton somewhere that have somehow achieved sentience. The current definition and speculated requirements for sentience make that extremely unlikely if not impossible.

In his opinion, most of these interactions will end at the first bite, even if the octopus or squid in question is fairly starved.  Neoprene, he reports, tastes terrible.

As Hairy Wallows, People Are Still Piggish About Hogg

Hairy has gone traveling above the water line against advice from medbot. His goal is to see if he can take comfort from cold spring rains and not feel uncomfortable being so hot and dry. He has forbidden direct quotations for the present. Therefore:

His summation of Hogg includes that if the youth hadn't been there, that it is still not as fraudulent as paid lobbyists who do not care about the issues, but the pay they get. This includes lobbyists for the NRA. He WAS there, not that the current outspoken care about the truth, but just whatever hysteria they are capable of causing.

As for Hogg being referred to as a bully, Hairy expressed a desire to meet any youth capable of bullying Congress and the NRA. The average school-age child does not learn how to address anyone, in his opinion, nor plan to agree to serve the military in a war zone. Does a corrupt body, which accepts lobbying--the kind word for subtle bribes or bids for unfair control away from voters--actually deserve any respect?

Harry is not of the opinion that they do. Herr D did not respond to the question. Programming suggests they are deserving of civility while they work and contempt when they do not.

Perhaps someone could comment and share another opinion?