I love to laugh at real photos made into something else — like a different scene, clothing, or style. You might remember the pirate selfies I created via AI and shared, but my latest endeavor is funnier by far.
I started with ChatGPT and an image of family from Thanksgiving.
With Christmas rapidly approaching, I thought it would be awesome for all of us to be dressed like elves. I asked ChatGPT to only edit the clothes and the background. I typed a full paragraph of nothing but verbiage instructing the app NOT to alter anything at all with faces — they should be kept pixel perfect. The result?
And then I laughed and laughed and sent the photo to my favorite brother. He said, “Oh man — I can’t get my breath because I’m laughing so hard. Poor Mom looks like one of those women that they interview who spent their life in prison.“
Next, I gave ImagineArt a go at it…
While a whole lot better, the image below did require some of my PhotoShop love. I pulled Mom’s face from another photo and added it, and made Colette’s arms the same length (one looked like it belonged on a Tyrannosaurus Rex). Oh! And Perry had 2 arms on one side of his body. 🙄
And finally, I turned to Grok Imagine for the grand finale…
Mom playing her dog like an air guitar makes me laugh every single time I watch it.
Let’s talk about the AI Bubble…
The term “AI bubble” refers to the concern that today’s massive investment and hype around artificial intelligence could resemble past speculative bubbles—most famously the dot-com bubble—where valuations outpaced real economic value.
The concerns stem from gains and explosive stock market growth that are largely driven by AI expectations, not traditional product growth. In addition, there’s HUGE capital spending and customer demand isn’t scaling fast enough. Do you know of any large company, device, news organization or social media platform that isn’t using it?
What do you think? Will we see a “burst” — just a bubble deflated — or do you see AI increasing in demand and value?
Now you know: For a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame there is a $85000 fee plus an application process.
Waiting on snow to roll in last night, I got an email from the weather channel letting me know that November 30th was the last day of fall. What??
I thought the last day of fall was December 21st this year!
I had no idea there are two official ways to define a season… in this instance, fall.
Meteorological fall = “Fall as defined by weather patterns and calendar convenience.”
Astronomical fall = “Fall as defined by Earth’s tilt and orbit.”
Hugo aligns with meteorological seasons because it looks/feels like winter.
It seems crazy to think winter doesn’t begin until December 21st (astronomically) when there’s not a leaf to be found on trees around here. Astronomical fall (“regular” fall) is based on sun angle and day length. Considering daylight savings time, I think the winter solstice thing is overrated. 🙂
Now you know: There’s a huge difference in the size of bear’s claws.
If you weren’t outside in the cold last night you missed a great opportunity to see the northern lights. The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are a stunning natural light display. It’s a very rare occurrence for Indiana — especially in southern Indiana: one source says only during major geomagnetic storms — “a few times per solar cycle.” Another source says “a few times per decade.”
The view was worth getting out in the chilly air!
Northern Lights form when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, creating shimmering waves of color across the night sky. Shades of green, pink, purple, and red dance and swirl, often illuminating the darkness with a magical glow. It remains one of nature’s most breathtaking phenomena!
Viewing the Northern Lights is a bucket-list experience — one my Momma experienced for the first time ever just last night. Of course, I had to send her a photo of her place visible with the beautiful sky as a backdrop.
It was just as pretty in Scipio at my friend, Julie’s place.
My favorite meteorologist, Marc Weinberg, said there was a strong G4 geomagnetic storm going on and we’d have a light display, but if not for Julie, I would’ve forgotten. She sent the first photo and I couldn’t resist going out with my trusty iPhone… and then telling those Pesky neighbors. How could I resist skipping it when her photo was so good?
If you missed the Northern Lights last night — or if you’re in a place in the world where they aren’t visible at all — I hope you someday get to see it yourself. It’s truly a reminder of how small we are in this great big, magical world. 🩷
Now you know: Northern Lights are best seen in places like Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Alaska. Indiana is well south of the usual “auroral oval” where auroras are frequent.
Temps dropped on Sunday and it snowed. And then, it snowed off and on all day yesterday too. We didn’t get much, but it sure felt like wintertime just the same. There was enough frozen precipitation to count as the first snow of the season, even though it seems crazy that a November snow is a fall event and not a winter one.
When it’s close to 30° in February, we don’t think it’s horribly cold. Since it’s the first time we’ve had freezing temps in the middle of the day for a long time, it feels like it’s at least -20°. Our bodies — and brains — simply aren’t used to it yet.
It’s snug and warm inside the barndo.
I can’t say it often enough… radiant floor heat is the bomb! Putting a bare foot on a warm surface is bliss when it’s cold outside. Even the hounds like it.
Happy Veterans Day! 🩷
Today is the holiday set aside to honor all military veterans who have served in the nation’s armed forces — even though they deserve our gratitude every day. Join me in recognizing the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication of men and women who have defended the country in times of war and peace. Thanking Veterans today and everyday for their service and commitment to protecting our freedom.
Now you know: Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I in 1918. Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day in 1954. After World War II and the Korean War, many Americans wanted to honor veterans of all wars, not just those who served in World War I. As a result, Congress passed a bill to rename the holiday, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law on June 1, 1954, officially making November 11 “Veterans Day.”
On Friday, I watched a portion of the live coverage from the Senate floor that included speeches and the vote that could reopen the government. The weather wasn’t great here in southern Indiana (raining and chilly), so why not?
Regarding the Senate vote, I saw:
Republicans rejecting the Schumer option — Schumer’s plan offered a “clean” continuing resolution to fund government operations in exchange for extending ACA tax credits.
Democrats rejecting the Johnson option — Johnson’s plan offered a House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government that fails to address the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
I put brownies in the oven and set a timer via my Alexa device. It then popped up a news headline with the title: “Senate Republicans Block Reasonable Democratic Offer to End Shutdown.” ~NBC News
Journalists should not be determining what’s reasonable.
STOP IT already!
Many major news agencies — talking about TV and publications because it’s all on the Internet — manipulate reporting to align with specific ideological goals by using selective framing and loaded language in coverage. Both sides of the political spectrum do it. When headlines subtly shape public perception through word choice or omission, it’s for sure those news organizations prioritize persuasion over objectivity. It pisses me off! In addition, it makes me question the authenticity of EVERY little bit of news they report on.
The government remaining closed — and the persuasive massaging of content being offered via news outlets (rather than unbiased news reporting) — is widening the gap between Americans with different viewpoints.
It’s like back in the day when my buddy, Alisa, and I would watch a trial on Court TV, and then tune in to Nancy Grace at the end of the day. Good ole’ Nancy would make shit up as she went along! We’d text one another and say, “That’s not what happened!” Or… “They didn’t say that!”
The wrap up…
I asked Grok, Genesis, and ChatGPT to deep dive into reporting on the government shutdown by CNN, Fox News, AP, and Reuters. The result — across the board — is as follows:
“Reuters is the most balanced, giving equal weight to both sides. AP leans slightly Democratic but includes GOP efforts.CNN attributes blame to Republicans in 80-90% of its coverage. Fox News, conversely, attributes blame to Democrats in 80-90% of its coverage.”
It’s no wonder trust in authentic news reporting is eroding. To quote my friend, David Horsager, “TRUST, NOT MONEY, IS THE CURRENCY OF BUSINESS AND LIFE.” (His past client list includes the US Congress… go figure.)
Now you know: Moon dust is toxic. Astronauts have reported watery eyes, throat irritation, and coughing after accumulating dust on suits. Moon dust particles are not weathered and are ultrafine, sharp, and reactive.
