Before I get into today’s post, I want to extend sincere thanks to readers who offered me their condolences on the death of my old friend. That means a lot to me.
In writing about AI the other day, I hinted that I find it entertaining to create tweaked images. But I didn’t say — nor did I show you — how, exactly, I get my jollies from asking Facebook‘s AI to “imagine” this, that or the other.
It all started when I noticed how many people get totally snookered by obviously fake photos, like the viral image of the frightened, puppy-clutching little girl escaping floodwaters (presumably in southern Appalachia). I took a stab at rolling my own versions with AI, beginning with a crying girl and a kitten.
I kinda went sideways from there. (pictured)
A few days later, just to kick leftist turds, I asked it to “Imagine a Deplorable.”
Interesting.
Closer to Home, early one morning I tried this: “Imagine preppers in the Ozarks.”
I can’t insert myself or Deb into these concocted images (not yet, anyway), but I’ve used a general description of us to see what AI comes up with — for example, “Imagine a bearded man with long white hair, and a woman with long white hair, sitting around a campfire swapping stories with a laughing Bigfoot.”
Wondering if this breed of AI recognizes subtle regional differences, I amended that request slightly: “Imagine a bearded man with long white hair, and a woman with long white hair, sitting around a campfire swapping stories with a laughing Sasquatch.”
Hey, it’s fun. So long as I don’t try to pass off the results as real, it’s also harmless.
And you can’t stop me.
Back when I got paid for my photography, I’d often produce one or more “contact sheets” after a session or an assignment. The term derives from the practice of contact-printing negatives from a roll of film on a sheet of photo paper, so that the images could be evaluated (usually with a loupe).
Clearly, I don’t have to do that anymore.
What I’ve taken to doing lately, however, is grabbing a screenshot of the Photoshop Express gallery on my phone every so often. It shows the 15 most recent shots I’ve edited with the software (and then saved, for whatever reason).
This snapshot-of-snapshots isn’t a true contact sheet, but that’s what it reminds me of.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB