AI Rant

[Think713]

I had a link to my source, did you read it? I don't believe your statements are accurate. The water is only partly re-usable. You cannot re-use what evaporates.

Key Details on Data Center Water Reuse:

• Evaporation Loss: Many AI data centers use evaporative cooling, where water is sprayed to cool hot air. This water turns into vapor and escapes into the atmosphere.
• Contamination & Limits:
  Recirculated water collects bacteria, limescale, and impurities, requiring it to be eventually replaced, meaning it cannot be used indefinitely.

Water that evaporates re enters the water cycle... its not lossed, its displaced...

 

[Think713]

The loss of a human skills base is definitely one of the things that worries me most about AI-based tools invading the software development field. Company executives can't see past the fog of their fantasies over goosed profit margins via fewer employees and much faster product development time lines. It turns out reality isn't so simple, hence some firms trying to hire back some of those human workers.

I would like to think the AI-based tools will only harm visual creative workers who are imposters -people who don't have actual creative talent, lack the skills to hand-draw/paint using traditional analog tools or at can't at least use the manual digital tools in apps like Illustrator to create clean, precise, professional looking artwork. Someone who is dependent on LiveTrace to do a vector conversion of a well known logo should be in more jeopardy than someone who can do a more precise job using the manual tools.

Unfortunately "professional quality" isn't the standard. With AI, "good enough to get by" is the new standard. If lots of creative workers are going to lose their jobs due to AI the job losses will be indiscriminate. There won't be any picking between real artisans and hacks. If anything, the folks with greater skill sets could be in more danger since they might have been pulling in bigger paychecks.

Earlier someone mentioned AI being similar to the arrival of vinyl cutters and how it destroyed a lot of hand-lettering work. I don't agree with that comparison.

Computer driven vinyl cutters were a big step forward for the sign industry. Same goes for the routing tables. Both raised the quality bar. They did far more precise work at reproducing letter styles and logos onto real-world materials.

AI is not raising the quality bar. It's a move backwards. The technology may do things very fast, but it doesn't generate things accurately. I think "slop" is a very fitting word. It sure isn't art.

People dont understand the true comparison, especially if AI does infact reach the levels of AGI. AI can make its own decisions and is actively doing so in isolated labs. It would be like a computer that is smarter than the entire human race doing whatever it wants to do, and we are along for the ride. There is a greater than zero chance, than when we get there and it is absolutely a when and not if... that said AI wont want to do ANYTHING for humans. And that poses a different problem all together.
You guys should take a look into the alibaba AI story. Its wild. And should be a big alarm to everyone.

 

[Stacey K]

6th gen Aggie here (plus my formal education is in it as well (equine nutrition/reproduction and ag econ)) and still do it just for the family needs though. Anything that we don't do, swap with other farmers. Will still actually mill our flour as well (stone grinding at that, which is better, it is electric milling, not using a molcajete(we use that for guac)) and no, we don't have someone that only does house work to be able to do this (I bring this up, because people claim time and it's really not that much of a suck on time once the kinks are worked out). Don't get me started on enriched/fortified bread versus fresh milled with the good stuff stripped away, only to be synthetically put back in and at marginal amounts at that (some people can't even process effectively due to how it was put back). Ironically, I would argue that's why bread gets the bad rep that it does, when it can actually be better for people. Also, if one does their own starter, that will provide food for the bacteria that you are putting in the gut (a lot of issues in health that we have can be traced back to nutrition or lack thereof) from the fermentation process. Won't get the bacteria due to the baking of the bread, but it does provide food for the bacteria that one gets from the fermentation process.

Oh wow! I'm very impressed! I bought a mill a few months ago and used it once. I don't think I ground it long enough, my bread was very flat lol Do you make your own pasta? That's something I wanted to try once I get the grinder thing figured out. I try and buy pasta from Italy as I read it's much better than the stuff we make here. I have not tried sourdough starter yet. I've made many breads with yeast. It does take a little time but I very much enjoy cooking and experimenting. Focaccia in the summer with fresh veges cannot be beat! I'd love to hear how to make or where to buy a good sourdough starter!

 

[Bobby H]

Water that evaporates re enters the water cycle... its not lossed, its displaced...

The water that re-enters the cycle must be TREATED before it can be re-used. The process is NOT cost-free.

People dont understand the true comparison, especially if AI does infact reach the levels of AGI.

While AGI poses its own Pandora's box of possible, extremely destructive problems the currently "dumb" AI has its own potential to utterly devastate the global economy.

Various tech companies are blindly obsessed with trying to achieve various milestones with AI and be the first to do so. Consequences be damned. "We're in a race against China" is the common rationale. The tech bros are 100% willing to let their AI tools wipe out many dozens of job categories even if the AI tech is rife with flaws and delivers sub-par results. So many people are willing to let enshitifcation contaminate so many things as long as they can make a fast buck off of it.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

While AGI poses its own Pandora's box of possible, extremely destructive problems the currently "dumb" AI has its own potential to utterly devastate the global economy.

The thing here is that "AI" as most on here know it and the LLMs that they can name are not "AI". So it's doubtful that those models (and how they learn and disseminate back) will achieve that. Now that can change, or there is some "secret" "AI" in some military installation bunker that is quite different. Don't know. Could be, just dunno. The fact there are only truly 10 (or maybe even fewer) unique models, I just don't know about this.

Do you make your own pasta?

Haven't yet. We have a crutch here at the farmer's market, a guy does it himself, so we tend to get there. We have done the loaves, rolls, cinnamon buns, cookies, crackers, hot dog buns, baguettes

I have not tried sourdough starter yet. I've made many breads with yeast.

We have two starters running, a potato flake and flour based. If you bake your bread in a bread machine, you'll either need to make sure your starter is really strong or you'll need to supplement with yeast. If baking it in the oven, should be good to go without supplementing it.

I'd love to hear how to make or where to buy a good sourdough starter!

I'll see if I can find where the original link is for the bacteria that you'll have to add for the starter.

 

[unclebun]

Sourdough starter uses wild yeast and bacteria from your environment. The process of starting a sourdough starter involves mixing flour and water, letting it sit at room temperature, and feeding it prescribed amounts of flour and water daily for a week or sometimes two, which selects for the microbes you want. You don't need to inoculate it with anything. It just happens on its own.

Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe - The Clever Carrot

Looking for an easy, sourdough starter recipe for beginners? Follow my no-nonsense, step-by-step guide for practical tips, tricks and ongoing care.

www.theclevercarrot.com

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Sourdough starter uses wild yeast and bacteria from your environment. The process of starting a sourdough starter involves mixing flour and water, letting it sit at room temperature, and feeding it prescribed amounts of flour and water daily for a week or sometimes two, which selects for the microbes you want. You don't need to inoculate it with anything. It just happens on its own.

Beginner Sourdough Starter Recipe - The Clever Carrot

Looking for an easy, sourdough starter recipe for beginners? Follow my no-nonsense, step-by-step guide for practical tips, tricks and ongoing care.

www.theclevercarrot.com

Are you talking about Type 2 which would be commercial produced starter to start with? What I was talking about is something that helps kickstart, but does not bring it to the level of type 2, which would have it's own cons. This isn't necessarily a commercially prepared, but more of a recipe that helps kick the process off quicker. Mainly to reduce the risk of failure.

 

[unclebun]

Are you talking about Type 2 which would be commercial produced starter to start with? What I was talking about is something that helps kickstart, but does not bring it to the level of type 2, which would have it's own cons. This isn't necessarily a commercially prepared, but more of a recipe that helps kick the process off quicker. Mainly to reduce the risk of failure.

It's the original home method for making sourdough starter. Like what they did in Bible times and before. Nothing but flour and water to start with. Nothing is added but flour and water daily.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

It's the original home method for making sourdough starter. Like what they did in Bible times and before. Nothing but flour and water to start with. Nothing is added but flour and water daily.

Uhhmmm, there is such a thing as "backslopping" (or jump start) that was done in biblical times to aid in the same thing that I am talking about. Beer (by another name though) was used to help jump start these fresh cultures. Even in biblical times. This is about controlling pH for a more successful yield, naturally.

 

[unclebun]

Not necessary for making your own starter unless you want it to taste like the beer's yeast or something. But then you could also just buy a packet of instant dry yeast. Some people also take the shortcut of starting with the discard from a friend's starter.

Here's the method of just making it from nothing:

Key Principles of a Sourdough Starter

• Ingredients: Only flour (preferably whole wheat or rye initially) and water are required.
• Fermentation: The microbes eat the sugars in the flour, producing bubbles (CO2) and acid, which creates a living, sour ecosystem.
• The "Discard and Feed" Method: To keep it healthy, you must regularly discard a portion and "feed" it with fresh flour and water to prevent it from becoming too acidic, which can harm the yeast.

Step-by-Step Creation Process

1. Day 1-2: Mix equal parts flour and water (e.g., 50g each) in a jar. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
2. Daily Feedings (Day 3+): Begin discarding half the mixture daily, then add fresh flour and water.
3. Signs of Activity: Within a few days, you should see bubbles and smell a sour, yogurt-like, or beer-like aroma.
4. Maturation: Continue the daily discard-and-feed cycle until the starter consistently doubles in size 4–8 hours after feeding. This usually takes 7–10 days.

People make it out to be some really difficult thing but it really isn't. You just have to do it daily. But if you aren't going to bake with it as regularly you can actually store the starter in the fridge and get it out a day or two before you want to use it and feed it and let it wake up again.

 

[Boudica]

The oh-so controversial sourdough starter.....

 

[unclebun]

You';d be surprised how much argument there is about sourdough on the internet. People really make a big deal about it.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Not necessary for making your own starter unless you want it to taste like the beer's yeast or something.

That actually depends on the beer used, some won't leave any profile and that's really not the point that I was making. It was about using something else to help take care of that pH. A stronger starter, a more successful starter during that initial establishment phase. But another input into backslopping that was common back in biblical times was using old bread itself.

People make it out to be some really difficult thing but it really isn't. You just have to do it daily. But if you aren't going to bake with it as regularly you can actually store the starter in the fridge and get it out a day or two before you want to use it and feed it and let it wake up again.

The method that I'm talking about isn't adding any level of difficulty to it. All that it does is help out the starter quicker, faster and actually makes it more forgiving in the initial phase. After the colony is established this isn't necessary. It is more about establishment and reliability of success in that initial phase.

There are ways to help accelerate getting that colony up for discard use after refrigeration to help cut down that time. But that does depend on getting a little more technological with it.

Also, should mention, if getting hooch (assuming that it's not black or really being neglected), that's a sign of needing to feed. It's active, but hungry. If it's dark in color, that's some neglect.

You';d be surprised how much argument there is about sourdough on the internet. People really make a big deal about it.

This is nothing compared to the old diesel versus gas threads that I have seen.

 

[Boudica]

You';d be surprised how much argument there is about sourdough on the internet. People really make a big deal about it.

My brother likes to make sourdough and is a self-proclaimed sourdough snob
I get it.

 

[Lux]

I tried using Copilot and ChatGPT to create me a 2ft x 6ft banner. Not once did it produce a file to those dimensions. I hade to tell it to make it 8ft to get a 6ft.

Have you tried telling the ai to make the file a specific amount of pixels wide to see if that produces the corrects size?

 

[mfatty500]

God, I can't remember the last time I used Sourdough starter when designing a sign or a T-shirt, or for Ai..

 

[myront]

Have you tried telling the ai to make the file a specific amount of pixels wide to see if that produces the corrects size?

This is just a test. I DO NOT NEED the clipart.
Coreldraw reads a 24''h x 72"w banner as 21600px x 7200px. CoPilot - "clipart sky image 150dpi 21600px wide by 7200px high" result 6400 x 4267 72dpi, doesn't help to resample either.

Chatgpt "clipart sky image 150dpi 21600px wide by 7200px high" result: 6400 x 4267 72 dpi

 

[Lux]

This is just a test. I DO NOT NEED the clipart.
Coreldraw reads a 24''h x 72"w banner as 21600px x 7200px. CoPilot - "clipart sky image 150dpi 21600px wide by 7200px high" result 6400 x 4267 72dpi, doesn't help to resample either.
View attachment 181786
Chatgpt "clipart sky image 150dpi 21600px wide by 7200px high" result: 6400 x 4267 72 dpi
View attachment 181787

that is messed up and it returned a different aspect ratio. Did you try only specifying the pixels and leave out the dpi? before hitting post, i got curious and googled pixel width limits for copilot and the first results were 1024x1024, which you are already much bigger. Concentrating on sourdough might be better.

 

[iam3toed]

Get Topaz Gigapixel and upscale

That's the right answer. Lean into AI. You're either on the wave or under it.

 

[myront]

that is messed up and it returned a different aspect ratio. Did you try only specifying the pixels and leave out the dpi? before hitting post, i got curious and googled pixel width limits for copilot and the first results were 1024x1024, which you are already much bigger. Concentrating on sourdough might be better.

Copilot "clipart sky 341px x 1024px" result: 6400px x 4267px!