Posts in category “Bewitching Vagabond”
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Sims 4 Needs More Mean and Evil

Playing a Sims villain should be so much more fun than it is. Evil and mean in the Sims4 is pretty weak, sad really.

How many times have you wished you could forget being the nice guy/ girl and say or do what you really think? Or rob a bank and commit other dastardly deeds without any consequences to yourself, or others. Not real people anyway.

Ruby Sykes wrote The Evil Trait Guide in 2019. Since then some changes have come along. But not enough. There really is too much love and mush in the Sims. It makes the game flat and at times really annoying for me.

I think there is a lot of new potential for mod makers to develop the game for mean and evil Sims. Not just adding more to the traits.

Think of all the careers for Sims… only one is Criminal. Every career should allow for Sims who cheat, lie, steal, and take what they can get without apology or much second thought. Do you see the potential? Same for aspirations. But, choosing the path of evil, mean, bad Sims should affect all your other choices too. Your Sims should not be fluffy and evil. Not be a hopeless romantic and mean. At least I don't want to play a Sim that way. I want full evil and mean, in every part of the Sim's life, career, relationships, all of it.

There might be a mod which lets your Sim become the burglar. That would be a start. But, I want more. I want to be a villain other Sims are intimidated by, at least. I want to try getting away with doing bad things. I want to steal from the good and keep it all for myself. I don't want the do-gooder version of the Sims. It's not fun enough.

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AI is Cheap But Doesn't Know What its Doing

I keep wondering if the AI written posts will work out in the long run. Cheaper than paying people to write but lacking any real experience with the topics they write.

They used to say "Don't do this at home, kids" when something was possibly dangerous/ risky. I think that will be a problem with AI generated posts. A computer can put together an article but is it giving people information they can count on?

My Mother isn't sure about AI/ computer driven cars. I thought it was a good idea, safer for drivers who may be distracted, intoxicated, tired, nervous, or just don't drive. All the AI needs to do is follow the line of the roads, know traffic signals, etc. After all, people drive themselves places half in a trance and are surprised when they get there. If all vehicles were AI driven there would be very few unexpected incidents, they would all be driving the same way. No second guessing, no human errors.

But, this relies on everything being predictable for the AI. An AI only knows as much as it knows, no more. What if the road hasn't been maintained to the standard the AI needs, for instance? People who drive know it isn't easy to see the white lines in the road when the paint is worn away or during a storm. Can the AI deal with that, or will that be a time when the AI needs to shut down and the vehicle is driven manually, by a human.

What about AIs writing articles online, giving people information, advice? People stuff information into the computer and leave the AI to spit it out as an article. So the AI gives advice to people about assorted topics: fast food restaurants, fashion choices, and cancer medications. Is the AI a trusted source? No. The AI is not an expert, does not have any experience or training. The AI only has information given to it and information it scrapes from other sites/ sources online.

Who will be responsible if the AI gives people the wrong advice, bad information? I don't think its just a small chance that this will happen. Fact checking has gone out of style, like proofreading and I don't see much editing either. Yes, the AI can edit itself for punctuation and grammar. Pretty limited with fact checking. By the time the article is written the AI considers it to be fact checked based on whatever information it had or came across. But, its just software. An influencer, not an authority.

The authorities will be at home, washing their dishes, cleaning the garage, all those dirty, messy, tedious jobs we thought robots would do for us. What comes next? What else will AIs do "for" us?

"Don't try this at home, humans, I'm just an AI and don't know any better." Will that be the new warning when something could be dangerous or risky? Probably more legalese than that.

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“It makes no difference how long ago someone died. We are their living…

“It makes no difference how long ago someone died. We are their living relatives.” – Emma Restall Orr

I read a post by Anna the Imp, Sacred Ancestors. This is an issue I have thought about before. Mainly, is it ok (morally correct) to move, display or physically analyze historical dead bodies. At what point does respect for the dead come into scientific research?

Honouring the Ancient Dead a British initiative that advocates respect for what are commonly called ‘human remains’ and their related funereal artefacts.

This is what Ana wrote:

There was a story in the Telegraph and the Guardian yesterday concerning the display of ancient human remains in museums. They report the findings of a new book by Dr Tiffany Jones that museums are removing or partially covering mummies, skeletons and other human remains for fear of protests by neo-pagan organisations, the chief among which seems to be Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD), an advocacy group founded by Emma Restall Orr, a neo-druid, poet and author.

There is certainly considerable sensitivity over this issue, particularly when some of the remains in question were removed from traditional burial grounds without consultation, something that might be defined as anthropological imperialism, a corollary of political imperialism. Many of these artefacts have subsequently been returned to the rightful communities

But is it right to be equally concerned over remains such as mummies and bog bodies, where no cultural or tribal continuity can be established? The examination of such things is, after all, an essential part of archaeological research, helping to establish a better understanding of the past, of past lives and past cultures.

Speaking personally I approach this question from two dimensions. As a scholar and as a historian I have to welcome anything that throws a greater light on the past, which I love. As a pagan, as an admirer of the ancient ways and ancient customs, I believe that we have to approach human remains, the remains of our ancestors, with a high degree of sensitivity. How could I possibly celebrate Samhain (Halloween) and not feel a link with the spirits of the dead, no matter how ancient?

Sensitivity, that’s the key word, to show things always in context, not to display the dead, many of whom were buried with reverence, simply to be gawped at as objects of idle curiosity. After all, how would you feel if your own ancestors were taken from consecrated ground and put on public display? Ah, but time, the removal of time, excuses such things, does it not? Perhaps, then again, perhaps not.

I've copied and posted Ana's thoughts because it's from an old blog which could disappear. I like what she wrote.

Myself, it makes me think about older photographs, movies or TV shows. Everyone is in black and white. So, we don't see them in colour, or think of them as being people who lived their lives in colour. They seem less real. Of course, logically, we know all those people lived in colour, just as we do now. But, it takes extra brain power to think of them as being people like ourselves, every day in colour, not someone from an old photograph or movie, lost in time.

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Are Robot Pet Kittens Good Companions?

It's not soft and cuddly, does it purr? Why is pink the preferred colour? I think it would end up in a drawer or lost in the closet after awhile. Still, the idea for robot pets is out there and they aren't as expensive as I thought. Source for image.

A houseplant might still be better for companionship. Unless its a fake plant. I don't have the feeling of something alive from the plastic robot kitten, even though it is kind of cute. Some things can only come from reality. I wonder if robots, artificial intelligence, or whatever comes next will ever be able to build that feeling of connecting with something else alive, living and having real feelings?

I like that its simulating a cat, not trying to be life like. There are life like looking cats too but I'd be really disappointed once the fur starts to get matted, or falling out, or whatever might happen to it over time.

There are cat simulation games. Not the same and yet possibly more convenient. But, if I'm having a desktop, virtual cat, I don't want one that will die if I don't feed it every day. A virtual cat should just be there when I want it, not needing me for anything. It's not real after all.

Is a fake pet convenient for those who don't want to deal with emotional or physical needs of another person, animal, or even a plant? Would a pet rock be just as good? A rock would have endless patience and could be kept warm for whenever you pick it up.

It all depends on what a person is really looking for in a pet? Is it a caring companion, do you want to be it's parent, or do you just want something alive there when you come home?

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Vintage Aurora Borealis Glass Beads

I've seen beads like this and did not know they had this name. So, now you know too. They're beautiful. I don't wear jewelry but I like to admire it.