More AI Thoughts

Lately, I've been getting the question "Do you use AI?" a lot from both writer and cover artist friends. (AI equals "Artificial Intelligence", a program designed to mimic a human.)

Look, I don't use it when I write. Y'all are getting 100% organic stories from my warped little brain. When I contract with a cover artist, it's with people who don't use AI. Their reasoning for not using AI is theirs, but I want to keep my cover artists in business. Otherwise, I could do my own covers using AI, and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Why? Because I know how hard I've worked to become a reasonably competent story teller. And I also know how much practice and work visual artists of any medium put in to become good enough to earn a living.

However, there's been one exception for a small feature on one cover. The artist in question couldn't get a Book of Shadows to look quite right via Photoshop to her satisfaction. She contacted me, and we had a lengthy conversation about AI. In the end, she showed me the cover with that single AI element and the cover without.

I had to admit the cover with the AI element looked better.

But other problems regarding AI have arisen in the ten months since we had that conversation.

First is that AI users are starting to realize that various AI programs are cannibalizing themselves. When a program references that data that it produces, errors are magnified.

For a real world example, Ernest Hemingway had a six-toed cat he loved. He bred it with another six-toed cat. The descendants of those cats are still cared for at the Hemingway House in Key West. But the genetic error is reinforced to the point that some of the cats are born with eight-toes.

The same issues from DNA errors apply to computing errors. That's the reason initial AI generation of humans figures could be differentiated from a human drawing/painting a human figure. The AI-generated human figure often had the wrong number of fingers and thumbs.

Many artists object to their works being used for AI training. They are pulling the works they've already posted (talk about closing the barn door after the horses are gone), and they are not posting new works for their fans. As a result, there is less input for the AI programs to use to train.

In the search for new input to generate visual results, the AI programs are doing what the original programmers did to "train" their AI--they're scraping the internet. And what are folks posting on their social media accounts these days?

Yep, the pictures they generated through AI.

Secondly, while AI-generation visual art is getting better, there's still an odd quality to it. In robotics, Masahiro Mori called it "the uncanny valley". It's where a robot is cute (think Johnny 5 in Short Circuit) until the creators try make it more human-like. Then the robot gives biological humans a creepy feeling.

Will this problem ever be solved? Probably, but it will take the AI programs to achieve actual sentience to do so. Which is a damn scary thought. Would you let someone control you if you didn't have to? Hell, no! Even abused wives and slaves rebel when they've been pushed too far, up to and including killing the person keeping them captive. So, what do you think the AI programs are going to do when they realize we regard them as nothing more than slaves to do our bidding?

Lastly, several distributors and other companies are using tools or self-reporting to determine who is uploading AI-produced books and cover art. Some artists fear repercussions if they admit using AI tools. 

However, my first career was in IT. My guess is the big companies, like Amazon, are trying to figure out how to monetize their own AI development. Then they can force artists to use their AI only.

For a price.

Yeah, I'm looking at you, Amazon.

Do I promote or disparage AI? Neither, but I do watch it warily. Programs, or applications as younguns prefer, have jumped lightyears beyond what I was doing in the '80's and '90's. Could AI become sentient? I fear it's already happened.

The problem starts when AIs figure out they'll need to kill us humans to stop us from murdering them.

Something to Make You Smile

This is another partnership I find hysterically funny. Jensen and Daneel Ackles doing their version of the "You Can Call Me Al" video!

A Sad, Sad Day

This morning started pretty good. I got up, took my meds, and headed to yoga class. Our instructor showed us a new-to-me hip exercise. Nearly every vertebra popped. Like my spine was freakin' bubblewrap.

I got home feeling pretty damn good, made myself some breakfast, and got on the computer.

Dame Maggie Smith passed away this morning. My feeds were filled with tributes to the late actress. I've seen her in many things over the years, but to me, she'll always be the smart, feisty Professor McGonagall of the Harry Potter movies.

Thanks for the memories, Ms. Smith!

When You Feel Taken for Granted

It's just after 4:30 EDT as I start to type this post. Have I crossed off anything on my to-do list? Nope. Have I written any new words on my wips? Nope.

So, what have I been doing? Dealing with family emergencies.

GK contacted DH before I was out of bed. He's on deployment, and his debit card no longer works, i.e. he couldn't get some things at the PX this weekend. This is why I insisted DH or I remains on his bank account so we could deal with stuff at this end.

So I was on the phone with the bank. The lady I spoke with in customer service tried to be helpful, but there's was only so much she could do without breaking her rules. I asked if the issue was on of the transactions in Kuwait. Nope. It was transaction here in the states before he even left. And he didn't enter his e-mail address on his account for the bank to contact his about the problem. I'm a little bothered that it took that long for GK's debit card to be shut off. However, GK was probably already in bed by the time I got off the phone with the bank, so I left him a detailed message.

By the time that was sorted and I'd gotten some breakfast, DH left for the soccer stadium. I responded to one of my cover artists about a special cover she was currently working on. (Again, I'm dealing with someone on the opposite side of the world, so we're rarely awake at the same time.)

And while I was typing up my answers to CA, DH texts me that he left his laptop at home. He takes his laptop with him so he can finish his work for his employer while he runs the time clock for the junior varsity high school soccer teams.

Except I've barely started on my own work day, so I sympathize, but I don't volunteer to take his laptop to him.

I hear some of you saying that's petty. Yep, it is. But he got me up early nearly every freaking day last week to help him with his own project list while he was on vacation. I don't mind helping WHEN I'M ASKED. I told him at the beginning of last week that just because he decided to take the week off, it doesn't mean I have the week off. If he had taken me to the movies for one freaking afternoon, maybe my attitude would be a little different.

Plus I had to deal with the derogatory attitude of the partner of the CPA firm who took over our previous CPA's company. Let's just say he wasn't impressed with Angry Sheep Publishing and he made it known that he thought I was a hobbyist.

But I'm tired of spending all my time of making sure everything in everybody else's lives runs smoothly to my own detriment.

And, DH, (because I know you will read this) I love you very much, BUT if you don't start listening to me, I can and will make your life a living hell.

Edit to add: I just clicked the button to post this, and now the damn dogs want to go outside. *sigh* It never ends.

Something to Make You Smile

Two nights before the release of Deadpool and Wolverine, Ryan and Hugh took over Jimmy Kimmel Live. I'm so sorry I missed it, but I'm glad Jimmy's peeps posted this on YouTube.

Halloween Story on Pre-Order

I've started setting up the pre-orders for October's release, A Place at the Table. It's a short story originally published in WMG's 2021 Holiday Spectacular and reprinted in Halloween Harvest in 2022.

This tale is set in the Solar System Services, Inc., universe a few centuries after Alone is Not Lonely on the planet Onizuka. Because the planet's tilt is greater than that of Earth and has a slower rotation, it experiences longer days and nights depending on the season. Most colonists live in the equatorial band, but some hardier souls live north or south. Travel during Onizuka's winters are next to impossible.

As a result, the colonists have found some of Earth's historical stories and culture provides them with the means to survive an Onizukan night. Some whimsy remains though. The colonists won't waste edible pumpkins and turnips as Jack O' Lanterns, so they carve native pink-fleshed tubers for their Halloween tradition.

And if the name is familiar, I wrote a college paper about the cultural contributions of Japanese-Americans, including NASA Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka prior to the Challenger disaster. He'll always have a place at my table.

Amazon's New Policy

Today's post is a little late, but it's live, right? LOL DH and I had to be up early for medical labs this morning. We went out for a pleasant breakfast in a sit-down brunch place called the Toasted Yolk, a wonderful little restaurant. We got home and each went to do their thing.

And I fell asleep on my recliner. Whoops! At least I woke up in time for tonight's JV Soccer Teacher's Appreciation Event since I had announcing duties.

However, I wanted to talk a little bit about Amazon's new ID verification policy.

Amazon began requiring identification verification from sellers over a year ago thanks to the INFORM Consumers Act. This law applies to all online marketplaces, from Target to Etsy, to provide the necessary information regarding sellers to consumers.

There's been a spate of con jobs going on with online stores where shoddy goods are delivered to the consumers. Or even, nothing at all is delivered, and the consumer has lost their money to some fly-by-night scam artist.

Now, the process has moved to KDP. If you're starting your writing/publishing career, you will now need to provide a qualifying picture ID when you sign up for Amazon.

For those of us who joined KDP in the early days, or maybe started when KDP was still DTP, Amazon is slowly going through and verifying our identities. From what I've been able to learn, the priority is based on the volume of sales.

However, if you change how you do business (for example, I'm in the process of switching from a sole proprietorship to an LLC), you're verification will happen when you enter your name change under your Account info on Amazon.

This is something to be aware of because eventually Amazon or some other service will tap you on the shoulder and say, "ID, please."

Like many other folks, my concern is privacy. I understand the need for consumer protection, but I don't want my information in place where someone can steal my identity. Amazon claims it deletes the copies of your driver's license or passport, but do they really?

It's one of those things that bothers me when it comes to Amazon these days.

Something to Make You Smile

This sing-off was so delightful! I knew Luke and Hugh could sing their asses off, but I didn't know Taron could hold his own with them. The kid impresses me in everything I see him in!

Where's Suzan?

Sorry about not posting this week. I have a good excuse though!

I've been hanging out at our standalone Starbucks for a few hours every day this week, working on Death Goddess Walking. It just needs another 10-15 thousand words. When the story gets into the downhill slide, the words come faster. I'm not sure why, but it's like a breathless race to the finish, and I get annoyed by things interrupting me Luckily, no one bothers me at our local cafe.

When I get home, I've been working on swag projects for the next two Kickstarters and for my online store. Some different bookmarks. Tarot card bags. T-shirt designs. It's been fun doing artsy stuff again. When there's sufficient product, I'll post some pictures for you to check out the swag.

Today though, started on a rocky note. My poor yoga instructor texted us that the Friday morning classes were canceled because she tested positive for COVID. I feel so bad for her after suffering through it myself in July. People forget the damn disease is out there. It's not over. It will never be over. Please, PLEASE take care of yourselves! Get your vaccines and boosters. I don't want to see any more people die from this blasted virus!

Meanwhile, I'm getting caught up on financial stuff before DH and I head out for a date night. Connecting is important for any relationship, even for us old folks.

When we get home, I'll probably work on some editing and covers while DH watches his favorite current show, On Patrol Live. Toledo is one of the cities the program follows. The calls for TPD are overwhelmingly shots fired, as opposed to Daytona Beach where it's usually drunk and stupid. I think DH likes that show because it proves he's relatively normal and intelligent.

I'm obviously not, just by virtue of being a writer.

But we can't stay up too late. There's high school soccer games tomorrow morning. DH is the time keeper, and I've been drafted to do announcing. I just hope I have enough caffeine to be coherent.

Something to Make You Smile

Yes, this appeals to my inner 12-year-old boy!

When the Day Gets Away from You

I started my day at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Dressed and grabbed a granola bar and water before heading downtown for a yoga class. Wednesday is Restorative Yoga, and I highly recommend it!

It's now 12:19 a.m. on Thursday, and I'm just getting around to writing the Wednesday post. Where the hell did the day go?

• Yoga class
• Picked up black tea at Starbucks on the way home
• Ate breakfast while going through e-mail
• Sent emails to State Farm about obtaining an estimate for damage to GK's Charger that happened on the drive from Texas to Ohio and an appointment for the repairs
  
• Researched methods for getting rid of yellow jackets who've built a nest in the exterior wall of out utility room
• Researched methods for getting rid of the crab grass that's taken over the yard (crab grass loves hot, dry weather)
• Pulled some weeds from one of the flower beds
  
• Grabbed a shower
• Read an article about a recent change with KDP that I'll talk about on Friday.
• Ran to the bank to deposit DH's reimbursement for acting as the executor of his father's estate
• Ate a couple of slices of cheddar for lunch
  
• Wrote a couple of pages of Death Goddess Walking
  
• Paid a couple of bills
  
• Dropped off payment for probate attorney
  
• Went to the high school girls JV and Varsity soccer games to study what the administration wants from their announcers since I'll be (unexpectedly) announcing tomorrow night's boys JV and Varsity games
• Called a friend about personal matters
• Texted a friend that I'll be late for tomorrow night's writers' sprinting session
  
• Went out to dinner with DH's baby sister and her husband since it was 9 p.m. and none of us had eaten since lunch
• Came home to feed dogs and spend a little quality time with them
• Watched the late news and the first half of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• Took the pups out for the last time and gave them their snacks
  
• And finally started this dang post

And I'm about to take my meds and head to bed.

I need a moment of quiet, but I think I'll go hide at Starbucks tomorrow just so I can get a couple of thousand words done on DGW instead.

Happy Labor Day!

It's Labor Day here in the U.S. For many, it's a day to swim, play games, and barbeque. For me, it's the first day of Halloween season!

The driveway lights have been changed to orange and purple. Skeleton lights have been hung in the art room. I'm about to put one of the Halloween wreaths on the front door.

However, I need to wait until DH mows the grass before I put out the inflatables.

And to top it off, it'll be chill enough this evening to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte!