TRIES! TRIES! TRIES!

 Let's talk about the more interesting aspects of rugby.

First up is that enthralling topic - TIGHTHEADS ...

... just kidding. We'll leave that sort of nonsense to old 3G guys reliving their glory days, regaling any poor sod stuck in a corner with them at parties about how they once ...  no, best to leave it there eh.

No, what do we like?

TRIES! TRIES! TRIES!

Yep, The NZ women's Sevens rugby team won GOLD at the Paris Olympics this morning.

Great stuff! Great haka!

WORK IN PROGRESS

 The guy from the farmland at the back of our property asked if we'd consider a sturdy fence between our back lawn and their paddock. I did mention this to you in an earlier post but I imagine that you've forgotten. Anyway, for your reading pleasure: HERE IT IS

I guess that an appropriate music video is called for. How about Cole Porter's 'Don't Fence Me In' ... just kidding.

The current fence is a crappy wire netting one that is fragile and the cows and horses when grazing close almost push it over.

I agreed straight away and asked him to give me a quote so we could share the cost. He said that he has the timber from other farm fences that he'd taken down that he could refurbish. He would have to buy new fence posts though and that is the cost we'll share. He is going to do all the labour. I'm happy with that as I don't have a lot of confidence in my own fence-building skills.

** This post will be updated as progress is made on the fence.**

NEW POST - THE MUSIC CURMUDGEON

 

I LOVED MY LEATHER JACKET

TC's 'BREWING' MAN

 What's in a word?

""It's so confusing sometimes to be a girl," sings Charli XCX on her latest album, Brat.

The vulnerable lyrics, existential questions and honest exploration of the complexity and contradictions of womanhood has turned Brat into much more than a collection of music.

For millennials and Gen Z, it reflects a highly relatable way of life.

Brat is, in the words of Charli XCX, a girl who "has a breakdown, but kind of like parties through it", who is honest, blunt, "a little bit volatile". In recent weeks, brat has become a mainstream phenomenon.

In the same week that my grandmother told me one of her friends was "giving brat", Charli tweeted "Kamala IS brat" and the US Democratic presidential nominee rebranded her X profile."

        - Yasmin Rufo BBC News

Charli XCX's attribution of 'brat' to Kamala Harris has understandably gone viral and is being suggested that it is likely to bring Harris millions of votes from young voters who might otherwise not have voted.

Who would have thought?

Made-up words that become fashionable are nothing new - even Robert the Cacographic Christian makes up words in just about every post he writes although these aren't fashionable.

To Baby Boomers like me and the readers, Generation X slang was incomprehensible enough but it seems that even Generation Z people can't understand it and had to create their own nonsense.

"I'm down with the kids"

Maybe The Curmudgeon should create some buzz words to bring in new readers seeing that the current ones are becoming forgetful, are a bit fuddy-duddy and downright doolally.

SUNDAY AND ALL'S WELL

 I took advantage of another lovely day, as tomorrow it's forecast for rain again, and did some outdoor jobs like raking up all the flax, yucca fronds and branches that the previous storms deposited. I've got nearly a full trailer-load now so, weather permitting mid-week will take to the tip.

I'll probably write a post about this because Richard likes reading  about it - well, he does mention it a lot.

I played 9 holes of golf this afternoon so won't need to go for a walk. The way I play golf, criss-crossing the fairways mean that I probably walk 5kms doing the 9 holes.

After a shower I'm now enjoying a glass of Champagne (Palmer rose). I'll have another later before dinner. I opened the bottle last night and, with the glasses we use get 4 glasses out of a 750ml bottle.

Dinner will be the salmon, prawns and zucchini in pastry dish I've made before.

Well, that's all. I just wanted to let you know. There's no other news from up north really.

MEANWHILE - IN A GARAGE SOMEWHERE IN WELLINGTON

 

Darryl: "Richard ... Richard,! It's our sheet music not a bloody handkerchief. Sheesh!"

THE SKY'S THE BLOODY LIMIT

I bought a SkyPass for the 2024 Olympics and have started watching events that New Zealand feature in along with some other interesting ones (you know which ones Robert!).

The trouble is that Sky Sports have got a little bit too clever for themselves and have created a platform that is extremely hard to navigate through and that renders quick searches redundant.

There's just so much going on in this busy app that, by the time I find the event I want to watch the bloody thing is almost over.

Is it just me?

Should I ask The Curmudgeon's Agony Aunt?

"Beat me ... sorry, beats me."

Have any other readers had the same problem .... no, best not to ask. The readers on this blog have trouble tying their shoe laces and putting their pants on the right way around so I doubt that they would be successful in even subscribing to Sky Sports.

WHEW!*

 * No, not a sigh of relief after finishing reading Richard's and Robert's posts although they were an ordeal.

The 'whew' in question is a reflection of how warm it is here today - shorts and T-shirt weather again.

I've just been for a long walk and am now quite hot which is not a usual description of me.

Not like this

More in this camp

I watched some pre-Olympic Games games through the night which were disappointing with the NZ women's football team losing to Canada and the NZ rugby 7s team losing the quarter-final to South Africa. Not a day for celebration.

The Games proper begins tomorrow and I have a Sky Pass to watch. I'll see if I can find a comprehensive schedule on-line so I can set alerts for what I want to watch. When it comes to New Zealand this will be: kayaking, canoeing and rowing; cycling; swimming; women's rugby 7s; men's triathlon and a few odds and sods.

When it comes to other sports I'll be looking at the track and field events, golf, some hockey and football and, as a given, women's beach volleyball!

I love the Olympics and feel that it's a shame that World Games and various other events have watered it down kind of like how the excess of televised sport has diminished my interest.

Never-mind, I'm sure that there will still some great sights.

EVERYONE'S A CRITIC

 

Yes, that mean old man who shaves in the dark trying to save paper is at it again, saying that my posts are boring.

Hey! We can't all be successful musicians being able to regale all the readers of tales of stadium events, groupies, fancy parties and King's Birthday honours.

I bought an outdoor mat today when I went shopping.

How cool's that?

MMM - IT'S THURSDAY

 I admit that yesterday's post was a bit of a filler - Mea Culpa*.

Today I didn't wake until 8.30! Today is a tennis day so I was worried that I'd be late. When I opened the curtains though I saw that it's a dreary day so made a cup of tea and went back to bed.

Now that it's after 10 I see that the weather is clearing and it could have been a good tennis day if this had happened an hour or so earlier.

I would still have been late though.

Pizza for tea tonight I think. Tuna, anchovies, olives, capers on a pesto and cheese base.

I managed to get two light-timers sorted for when I go to Christchurch. They are, like most contraptions, bloody complicated and I always forget how to operate them. Sorted now though.

For the life of me, I cannot find the two Icebreaker undershirts that I wear in cold weather. They are both made from merino wool so are lightweight but very warm. I've looked in every drawer, wardrobe and cupboard in the house and in every bag and suitcase in the shed and the attic. Nothing. I don't recall giving them away but I did, about a year ago pack up a lot of unused clothing - some new - and gave away to an op shop. Maybe I included my merino shirts. Bummer! It's likely though that, come summer, I'll find them in a place I haven't looked.

I'll make a trip into town today and go to some outdoor clothing shops like Kathmandu to see if I can find replacements. I'm sure that I'll need some warmer items for my trip to Christchurch and Dunedin.

I might do some more basement excavation today. I'm about 2/3rds through the job so should get it finished. I've got the right tools now. Have I told you? I can provide links to past posts if you like ... just kidding.

Although it's been raining a lot recently I haven't used my Muckboot long boots. They're great but it takes so long to get them off that I'm never in a hurry to put them on.

I hope that you enjoyed the picture. Fortunately it's an old one so I didn't have to put the boots on to pose for a new one.

If I get sorted and go in to town soon I'll be able to buy a filled roll from Woolworths for my lunch. These are so delicious and popular that you have to get there before 12 or they will have all been sold. I'd better make a shopping list. I know that I need some fresh fruit and vegetables. Maybe some All Bran and pumpkin seeds ... sorry, I drifted off there.

The Old Girl's been away for nearly a fortnight now and the place is getting into a mess. I'll have to do some housework later. Either that or get a maid in.

Ha ha - just kidding. The Old Girl would find out and Robert's hell would be nothing compared to what she'd give me.

Mind you, with my luck the agency would probably send me someone like this:

Oh well, enough of the sexist jokes, I'd better get moving.

* Sorry for those who were in the 'G' classes at school**.

** That can be taken both ways***.

*** Which is probably what those guys in the 'G' classes at school did.

HOW RICHARD SEES THINGS #2

 Number one in this series was so popular I thought that a follow up post is necessary so, here you go - HOW RICHARD SEES THINGS #2.

No need to thank me.

Since the 25th of May most of what Richard has been seeing has been these things:

Well. going by his posts anyway which obsess over double bass and violin practice and spending time in the toilet.

If you like reading about endless practice sessions and how many times someone goes to the toilet in the morning then Richard's Bass Bag is the blog for you.

Don't forget to wash your hands.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

 I'm glad I'm not a woman no matter what Shania Twain says.

The USA Republican party and its spokespersons spokesmen, after having tried to discredit the Democrat party's Presidential nominee Kamala Harris for her laugh and her carelessness for being a woman have now settled on attacking her sexual history.

This from a party that is supporting a serial sexual abuser - Donald Trump!

NEWSWEEK - SEXIST ATTACKS

What's wrong with these people?

I'VE GOT BEES IN MY HEAD

 

It's hard to describe tinnitus to people who've never experienced it.

Medical authorities on the web variously describe the sounds heard by the person with tinnitus as being whooshing sounds, ringing, clicking, cicada sounds, whistling, hissing, squealing and buzzing.

I've never experienced the squealing other than the complaints that Robert makes when I criticise his religious posts nor have I heard the 'whooshing'. I have experienced all the others though and the funny thing is that the 'sounds' vary by type and intensity from time to time. 

Today I'll admit that I hear buzzing in my ears which sometimes is loud enough to think that there is a swarm of bees in there.

I wonder if it relates to this idiom?

Nah, probably not. I'm not a compulsive obsessive like the other bloggers. That sounds more like Richard harping on (see what I did there) about his violin practice or Robert banging on about church sermons.

IF YOU DON'T LAUGH, YOU'LL CRY

 

The Old Girl sent me a link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7f5ggi

She's in Christchurch at present and knows that I like The Boys From The Blackstuff.

I first watched this in 1982 and was gobsmacked by it then. I've always liked gritty UK dramas and Alan Bleasdale and Allan Bennet were good at writing these. I've been looking out for ages for this series to watch again but have never seen it reappear on TV nor on the various streaming apps we subscribe to. With 'Daily Motion I need to watch it on the computer but that's OK when I expand the screen.

Boys from the Blackstuff is a five episode series that was a follow up to a television play The Blackstuff  that apparently was screened in 1980. I was unaware of the play - maybe it was never screened in New Zealand. 

I found The Blackstuff on The Daily Motion site and, after watching episode One of Boys from the Blackstuff  had a look and have watched the first 15 minutes of the hour an a half long play. It's just as good as the following series and sets the scene with the characters who later appear and their relationships with each other being sketched out, which explains the conflicts and history alluded to in the series.

The play and the series are set in Liverpool and follow the individual stories of the five now-unemployed men who lost their jobs following the events of the original play - The Black Stuff. Each episode focuses on a different member of the group.  This is powerful and gritty stuff showing the destructive effect of high unemployment and a broken social service system. The system was already broken before Margaret Thatcher came to power but the Thatcherite government really put the boot into people who were already down. While being humorous the stories are really a lament to the end of a way of life and the culture of the working classes. The jovial and cocky working man is shown to be becoming depressed and angry as the country's dire economics strip away support, family cohesion and dignity.

The location and time are far removed  from us today in New Zealand in 2024 but the themes are relevant. We're seeing social division and economic hardship in New Zealand that's far worse than anything I've seen in my lifetime before. Let's just hope that the 'Kiwi Spirit' can get us through as much as the indomitable British spirit was fabled to.

I recommend watching the play and the series or revisiting it if you, like me watched it in the 1980s. Some things are very memorable and have lasting effects on our lives. For me this is and has and I still remember outtakes like Yosser Hughes saying "Giz a job" or Chrissy's  wife Angie railing against the "If you don't laugh you cry" saying.

 

TRUMP THERAPIST

 

       Therapist

(noun)

Head shrinker
A person who treats mental conditions by verbal communication and interaction.

Yes, that works.

Trump 'treats' the mental conditions of his MAGA followers through verbal communication and interaction.

Hey! Don't just believe me, watch what Magabot Matt Gaetz has to say:

"GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH HIM YET"

 Ha ha. Have you watched any of the reports from the GOP's RNC conference?

What a shit-fest.

Jordan Klepper on The Daily Show highlighted some of the most ridiculous things, especially the nutters who are convinced that God saved Trump.

Have a look at this particularly between 4:40 minutes and 6:50 minutes.

How can these people be so stupid?

Robert?

IMAGINARY SCENARIOS - NUMBER ONE

Have you heard the good news?

While listening to Rural Report on National Radio today I heard a report on faulty bull semen. This gave me an idea for a new series - IMAGINARY SCENARIOS. No need to thank me.

*****************

Scene: The biggest mansion in Heaven.

-Knock knock-

GOD: Come in.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Er ... excuse me Lord, you wanted to see me?

GOD: (Quickly clearing his desk of some photographs, one of which Archangel Gabriel noticed was a particularly salacious image of Eve). 

 Yes Gabe, come in, come in.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Thanks be to God.

GOD: Cut the crap Gabe, I've got a job for you.

(God handed Archangel Gabriel a small vial that had a milky substance inside.)

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Thanks - hey! This is warm.

GOD: Of course it's warm. It was hot. It's a sample of my Holy Spirit.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Eee-ew!

GOD: Don't be such a wuss. If I'd created you with a penis you'd understand.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Umm - OK. What do I have to do?

GOD: I want you to go down to Earth, to Palestine - Jerusalem actually and find a maiden named מרים... 

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: מרים?

GOD: Yes, מרים. It can be transliterated as Maryam. 

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Maryam?

GOD: OK, try Mariam.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Mariam?

GOD: Jesus wept! How does Mary suit you?

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: Mary? Yes, that's better. Jerusalem you say?

GOD: Yes, Jerusalem and Gabe ... make sure she's a virgin OK?

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: In the big city? Sheesh!

GOD: Here - take this turkey baster and ...

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL: ... Gloves?

GOD: Sheesh!

AMERICANS ARE FULL OF SHIT - KISSING THE RING

 The deification of Donald Trump after the attempted assassination* is disgusting to watch. Americans can be so naive and simple sometimes and are forgetting about his transgressions and forgiving the most disgusting politician in their history. This is happening now and will be something that they will be ashamed of in the future.

The takeouts from the RNC conference I've seen have shown a constant stream of self-serving arse-lickers falling over each other to endorse the smirking slug.

Politicians who have recently slated Trump for his stupidity, his egregiousness, his criminality and his dangerous right wing connections have suddenly done about-faces and are now singing his praises.

Sick!

Believe me there are many of the weasels but here's just a few as an example.

J.D. Vance, the  Republican Senator from Ohio and now Vice President nominee compared Trump to Hitler, called him an idiot and warned Christians that “everyone is watching when we apologise for this man”.
Now Vance is supporting Trump in his policies and is 'kissing the ring' although many commentators are concerned that he might be a 'fox in the henhouse' and his change is all about getting the V.P. position to run for president later. This arsehole is way further to the right than Trump is.

Former South Carolina GOP Governor Nikki  Hayley who ran against Trump in the selections once said about Trump “We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”

Now the simp is singing his praises.

Ron De Santos the Republican Florida Governor who also ran against Trump in the Primary Selections and who Trump vilified previously said about Trump:  “You can be the strongest, most dynamic, successful Republican and conservative in America, but if you don’t kiss that ring, then he’ll try to trash you,” 

Now this pussy is kissing the ring saying that even if he once had disagreements he will support Trump for President.

* The jury is still out with me as to how much of this was a planned sympathy seeking stunt that went wrong but surprisingly turned out well for them.

"I SHOULDN'T BE HERE"

We have a cracker of a day here. It's hard to believe that we had a storm nearly as bad as last year's cyclones just a few days ago.

I played tennis this morning and plan to do some garden tidy-up this afternoon. This may mean that the promised response to Richard's latest post will be delayed.

Tennis was marred by the reappearance of the dreaded Roger but I didn't fight with him. What did happen though might shock you to your core. A hard-hit shot just missed my head. I heard it whizzing past and it NEARLY CLIPPED MY EAR!

If it had I'd have to wear a discreet bandage like Trump to elicit sympathy.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

 

Yes, that great, and probably only great Rod Stewart album Every Picture Tells a Story (Gasoline Alley excepted) was a staple of my music listening in the first year of university. I loved the songs - Maggie May, Mandolin Wind, A Reason to Believe and others. This was Stewart at his best before he went on the rapid decline musically speaking but phenomenal growth fame-wise. There's no accounting for taste eh. The Old Girl and I walked out of a Western Springs Auckland concert of his many years ago.

"Why Rod Stewart?" you might ask.

Well, that old guy from Wainuiomata who must get his jokes from his old Beano comics said this in a comment to my last post:

Not exactly Oscar Wilde but, there you go.

I sent back a link to this video clip in reply. Hey! That showed him.

Anyway, doing this reminded me of a very clever cartoon The Old Girl sent me:

I like that.

MAYBE HE SHOULD NAME IT 'MALCOLM'S BASS BAG'

 Richard of Richard's Bass Bag, that old nag from near Wellington forgets that he's an ex-schoolteacher and  makes a nuisance of himself correcting other people's grammar.*

Here's one example from a post of his:

And here's one example of a comment he made on a recent post of mine.

I could add hundreds of other examples but it's a crappy day outside and Play Station Tiger Wood's 2005 is calling me. Don't take my word for it - stroll through all of his posts and his comments on my posts if you like but ... better still, hear what 'Malcolm' from The Thick Of It says about blogs and bloggers:

* I live with an ex-schoolteacher and she does the same thing to me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now.

HE DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING ... OR DID HE?

 I know, I know, I said I wouldn't write a lot of posts on Trump and his designer wound but I remember writing a post seven years ago on the dangers in USA of politicians being assassinated and what they should do about it. See:

INEVITABLE OUTCOME

I believe that there is a lot more to the Trump shooting than the media or the authorities are telling us. Who knows? It may be a set up that went wrong. The dupe who did the shooting maybe only was supposed to loose a few rounds in a safe direction. He forgot his mission and didn't know that there were snipers with their superior, telescopic sniper rifles already trained on the spot where he was going to be - hitting him milliseconds after he fired his own few shots. (Suspicious that).

The pre-rally statements Trump made and the language he used in the moments before the shooting also are suspicious.

The actions of the security detail - as if expecting a happening in the moments before the shooting along with their positioning just don't look right.

Anyway, if as I said in that earlier post, public appearances were discontinued and, if figureheads were replaced with robots, holographs or cardboard cut-outs then we wouldn't have these situations.

Hey! Watch this space.

CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST*

We're all familiar with the situation where when some miserable bastard dies, one who has made everyone else's lives miserable, but now that they've gone everyone say's nice or at worst neutral things about them.

* We're all familiar with this saying as well - "Chicken's coming home to roost".

Idioms and Phrases

The consequences of doing wrong always catch up with the wrongdoer, as in Now that you're finally admitting your true age, no one believes you—chickens come home to roost . The fact that chickens usually come home to rest and sleep has long been known, but the idea was used figuratively only in 1809, when Robert Southey wrote, “Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost” ( The Curse of Kehama ).

       - Dictionary.com 

I'm not going to (hopefully) write a lot of posts on Donald Trump's shooting as I have no doubt that this event will dominate news media for months and overshadow more significant events, tragedies, disasters and wars and quite frankly the orange idiot doesn't deserve any more press - certainly not any good stuff.

Donald Trump has for years been an abusive, racist, misogynistic and cruel bully and a coward to boot. He has deliberately incited violence and showed a willingness to back dictators, thieves, criminals, pedophiles, fascists and white supremacists. He has lied continually, cheated people and denied that he lost the 2020 election. He is not a good man. We all know that. But ... now the media - certainly the right wing ones and also the centrist ones are painting him as being the victim of violence that has been fomented by left wing democrats and the Biden administration. There already has been, and there will be a lot more to come, lamenting and wailing and sympathetic support for him. He will be painted as a hero and a great patriot and nearly everyone will forget that he has shown so much cowardice, vulgarity and meanness in his life so far. He will now, even though he didn't die, be that nice old guy who has everyone's best interests at heart**.

Give me a break.

In this guy's case his chickens have certainly come home to roost. His shooter is exactly the type of guy that he has systematically refused to recognise as a problem with his support of the gun lobby and the Second Amendment. A 20 year old, disaffected loser with an AR-15 type assault rifle is the typical mass shooter that Trump refused to acknowledge. Now though he will still not acknowledge it and will build up a myth of invincibility, bravery and being chosen by god to lead.

Sheesh!

** He certainly didn't have the protection squad's best interests and safety at heart when, as they were trying to get him off the platform, he held them up because he wanted to make his extravagant fist pumping display. He would have been OK, surrounded by the officers but if there had been another shooter, one or more of the protection squad could have 'bought it'.

 

HOW MARK 6:7-13 WOULD HAPPEN IN THE REAL WORLD

Robert aka Rob Carey published a bit of Gospel nonsense today about apostles trying to squat in other people's houses and trying to package this up like it's a good thing.
See the gospel stuff here:

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.

He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

OK, I guess that went unnoticed and uncommented on for generations but, if you look at the strange story from a modern day perspective it's not at all nicey-nicey.

***************

Brian and Jenny had a nice house in the suburbs that they'd saved hard for a deposit for and, after 40 years of hard work and scrimping had managed to pay off the mortgage. They were content and happy to settle down to retirement in their home.

One Sunday morning, after breakfast Jenny answered a knock at the door and discovered two scruffy-looking guys there. They were each dressed in a shapeless woollen tunic, wearing sandals and each carried a walking stick which she considered odd as neither appeared to be old nor infirm.

JENNY: Can I help you.

FIRST GUY: Yeah, nah, umm - can we come in?

JENNY: No. Who are you and what do you want?

SECOND GUY: Look lady, it's cold out here and we only have the one tunic each. Let us in or we'll ...

The two scruffy guys didn't wait for an answer but instead barged in past Jenny and  made themselves comfortable in the lounge.

FIRST GUY: Hey lady! We aint got no food and are hungry. Can you rustle us up some breakfast doll?

JENNY: (flabbergasted) B... b... but you can't just walk in like that. Brian! Brian! Come here quickly.

Brian heard Jenny calling and, grumbling (the sighs and grumbles came involuntarily now at his age as he got up out of chairs), made his way to the lounge

BRIAN: What's up Jen? Who are these guys? They look like musicians.

JENNY: No, they're worse. I think that they're Christians.

BRIAN: Oh shit!

FIRST GUY: Look, cut the crap citizens. We're cold. We're tired. And, we're hungry ... hey! Nice place you have here dudes. I think we'll stay here a while.

BRIAN: Wh ... wh... what? How long do you plan on staying arsehole?

FIRST GUY: Until we leave cunt, that's how long. Now, how about that chow?

BRIAN: You think, arsehole?

Brian produced the Glock 19 he had been holding behind his back. The Glock 19 ranks as the number one best gun for home protection. This pistol is often carried by law enforcement because of its reliable nature. It's a striker-fired, semi automatic weapon with limited recoil.

SECOND GUY: Hey dude - chill! If you're not going to welcome us or listen to what we say then it's on your head man.

The two scruffy guys got up to leave but before going shook all the dust, dirt and shit off their sandals over Jenny's nice shag-pile carpet.

BRIAN: Fuck off and don't come back 

JENNY: Oh Brian. Look at the state of the carpet. Bloody Christians.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PART TWO*

*No, I'm not referring to the 3G2 class at school back in 1966. 3G was bad enough. I wouldn't inflict that on you.

Richard made a good comment on one of my recent posts. He said:

"This AI thing seems like the end of individuality."

Actually he said it twice which kind of made me think of the scene in the film Cherry 2000 when the robot malfunctioned:

Richard hits the bullseye with that comment because while it's still early days with general use of AI via ChatGPT and the Apple apps, I've already been able to pick what is computer generated and what has individuality. Robert would say that it lacks sole or, more likely his AI computer friend who is now writing his posts might correct his spelling and say that it lacks soul.

As you would correctly surmise The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ has warned of this in previous posts. See: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

In another post I said this:

AI is a very, very clever tool that we cold only dream of when we were younger, making our brains work to write school essays, work reports and drafting letters to the IRD but, like most internet things, is being debased and misused and will be 'owned' by scamsters, politicians, pornographers and ... Christians.

BANZAI!

 

I really mean 'Ban AI' but let's not let racial stereotyping get in the way of a good story.

I'm all for innovation and creativity - after all there's a Curmudgeonly Inventor in The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ: THE CURMUDGEONLY INVENTOR - but I'm getting tired of the inappropriate and overuse of AI already. I mean, when anachronous senescents like Rob Carey start using the platforms, that ship has sailed.

One of the interesting things (maybe only one) of the blogging community over the years has been the amusing way that Rob Carey and his many infestations manifestations distorts the English (and other) language kind of like a modern day Mrs Malaprop.

"We will not anticipate the past, our retrospection will now be all to the future."

Rob, or Robert has unfortunately taken to using AI in his blogging, his Facebook posts and who knows what else. I wonder if he uses AI to find obscure prayers and stories of made-up people he calls saints. Probably.

It's getting so it's hard, when reading media, watching television, generally getting information - to know what is real and what is AI-generated fake nonsense. In the case of Robert, fortunately it's easy as if the writing has no or very few spelling mistakes or grammatical errors then we know that it's fake.

He's taken to using AI generated images now. These are all creepy and have that 1950s 3D imagery about them that the weird Catholic holy pictures that the nuns gave us had.

"I'm watching you"

Apropos of nothing, am I the only one who finds this AI image Robert used recently to be blatantly pornographic?