MundaneBlog

February 8, 2026

Movie Review – 果てしなきスカーレット/Scarlet

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , — DrMundane @ 4:04 pm

“How many ages hence

Shall this our lofty scene be acted over,

In states unborn and accents yet unknown!”

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

It is perhaps not unintentional that I thought of these lines from Julius Caesar as I watched 果てしなきスカーレット/Scarlet, which itself is inspired by another of Shakespeare’s works, Hamlet. This already endears the film to me, as I love the gravitas it lends. We should aim to tell heavy, compelling stories, no matter the medium! I find the setting and storytelling to very much live up to this noble goal, and both largely succeed in creating the conditions for Scarlet to move through the story and change as a character. Change is not an easy or peaceful process, and Scarlet very much does not get to win hers without cost.

The Animation: I am not experienced in criticism of animation, so I will leave it at this: I found much of the animation pleasing, of good quality, and some scenes were beautiful. I also found some of the character animation to be missing detail or sufficient life, or some quality that I can not get to. Overall, I think the animation works to tell the story and reinforce the setting, but for whatever reason some of the close up shots failed for me, while others were compelling. 

The Writing: I found the writing unoffensive (good), in that the characters had their voices and the words conveyed their personalities. At some points the writing is a feature and deeply moving, such as in much of Act I, and the final confrontation of the film. 

Pacing: Most of the film is well paced, and it feels as though our characters are changing at the right speed. Things happen, and this provides a chance for Scarlet to imagine a new path. There is one point in the film that to my feeling throws the pacing out the window, and suddenly all too fast we have characters changing rapidly with very little happening to cause this change. This is my main problem with the film, and I detail that below.

Sound: I found the sound well done, as far as effects and ambiance go. The music was lovely, but not terribly notable. I will not be loading it on my iPod, but it does not take one out of the film. As with most movies I found the loudest points entirely too loud. I wear ear protection of some sort in theatres in all cases, so it is not a knock on this film in particular. The empty theatre (not more than 20 in am IMAX theatre) most certainly also contributes. 

The Meaning: I enjoyed this film particularly as it was an examination of revenge and the seemingly never ending cycles it locks us all in. It must be thought to be a film deeply concerned with peace and how a peaceful society comes about. I find the overall moral thrust of the film very much in agreement with my thinking, although I expect most people will. It does not contend too much with the complexities of ‘evil’, but I think to do that would mean making a very different film. It deals with the question of “good”, and leaves an examination of the complex forces leading to “evil” for others to examine.

Spoilers After This Point!

My main issue and how I would do this film:

My main issue with this movie is in act 2, when Scarlet is ripped from the Otherworld and transported into the future. The film rips us into the future not to gaze at the cycle of endless war and conflict, but for a musical theatre dance number. Actually, the choreography is nowhere near as good as any musical, so that gives them too much credit.  The tonal shift was jarring to me, and there is very little precedent as to why she would be able to move through time to an alternate future where she is in the modern world. 

And to make it a dance number. I’m sorry, but the shock of predicating Scarlet’s transformation on an alternate future dance number is too much for me. The film in one moment throws away any gravity it has created up to this point for a wholly unnecessary scene that perhaps was intended to show off the animators’ prowess. I do not know what else would drive you to create this scene. To  have Scarlet be able to imagine a peaceful future? You’ve already constructed the world that can show her that. Why else do we have Hijiri, if not to show her the future? To tell her of the possibilities that exist and have Scarlet realize for herself that the future is peaceful. This is a world that contains the past and the future together, she needs not be transported into the future and suddenly changed for no reason in particular. Scarlet’s revelation must be born of the experiences she has in the Otherworld. The framework for this change is there, with the caravan and coming to trust Hijiri. She is brought to the otherworld to change, let her change there!

I would set the scene by the fire to the acoustic version of the song, and then have Scarlet think back to all the times she saw her father choose to pursue peace. Chekhov’s gun was hanging on the wall here, we watched her father in Act 1 pursue peace with such an unfailing devotion that Claudius was able to use it kill him. Scarlet’s few scenes of being able to live for herself were with her father. Show us that childhood, have her remember the picture as she sits with Hijiri around the fire, and remember the peaceful world her father could imagine. Scarlet has been changed by her time with Hijiri, her time wandering the Otherworld. These memories take on a new light, a new understanding to her, as she learns about the world beyond her own. Now she has a viewpoint from which she can understand her father a little better. She can start to come around to his vision of peace. 

From here on until the scene with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, she should be struggling between revenge and forgiveness (of Claudius, in the fight scene, etc.). She keeps her hair, they meet the pilgrims to the world’s end, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent out.

Scarlet interacts with the little girl, and then the girl is put in danger (as per the existing film). Scarlet hides behind the rock and watches. I think right there, where she has to choose between letting an innocent die in her quest for revenge, or giving up herself to save the innocent, is when she slices off her braid. She has chosen to let her revenge not be her primary goal, she has chosen others and justice over revenge. The innocent shall not suffer for the sins of the wicked. 

We then move through the film as programed, with the final revelation being that one must forgive oneself, live for your sake, and live so as to bring about a better world. An eye for an eye makes the world blind.

I liked the ending – my only nit to pick is: she’s like 14, why are we going for the kiss on the lips for this 26 year old guy? My live reaction in the theatre was “she’s 14, eww”. Even if he was 20 I wouldn’t like it. She can kiss his cheek, his forehead, or embrace him, but I found the kiss on the lips distasteful. Even if she is 18, I do not think the film did sufficient work to lay out any romantic interest here at all. A good thing, let there be no doubt! 

Summation:

I did very much enjoy 果てしなきスカーレット/Scarlet. I quite like that they were willing to take Hamlet and run with it, to try again and tell a story so central to the story of being human. The world created for this film was compelling, in its mix of peoples throughout time. They all share the underlying urge to obtain immortality and a reprieve from the endless cycles of death and violence that continue in the Otherworld, the same as in our world. Scarlet herself must come to understand what her vision of the world will be, and what it is she will live for. She is ‘right’, perhaps, in seeking revenge for the injustice wrought against her. This is, after all, justice as we recognize it. The evil are punished for their deeds. The complicating factor is: Scarlet lives only to right this one wrong, and in doing so looses all of the potential she has to ensure the ideals of her father live on. Her father need not die, for even though his flesh does not stir, his ideals and his memory lives on in her. She can abandon her personal justice, and in so doing buy freedom and peace for her people. How can any of us be asked to make this choice, or to say which way is right or wrong? 

All the bones of a good film are here, but a few missteps will prevent this film from taking a place in the Anime cinematic cannon. Rest assured, however, the blu-rays will live on some devoted fans’ shelves, and there will be much debate as to how each of us would have gotten the film across that line, if only we had the chance! 

Coming Out

Filed under: Gender,Trans — Tags: — DrMundane @ 3:18 pm

It has been a while since i have blogged (I have a movie review coming today, hopefully, it is already written!), but I wanted to post a quick update. Especially since in reading my post below this one (Thinking on June 1st) I realize I haven’t come out to the blog yet!

I am a woman, actually (most specifically a trans woman, of course). I mean I was then, too. I was still resisting that at the time of the last post, but pretty quickly after decided to rip off the band aid and just do it. And so there you go, that’s the update!

I’ve never reviewed a movie in text before, but I think I’ve done a good job.

June 1, 2025

Thinking on June 1st

Filed under: Gender,Trans — Tags: — DrMundane @ 8:32 pm

Standing in Mont Alto State Park

by the river having lunch. i am reminded of early in my transition (relatively speaking), when i was still coming to terms with being trans (or wanting to be) and what all that means. 

My best days were the ones spent going to State Parks and on hikes. I wrote in my diary time after time how wonderful it felt, Because i could exist outside. It felt like it was the only place i could exist.

i didn’t have to be anything or present as anything or even worry about who i was being or presenting. 

i remember driving to my triple state park adventure. An empty highway with just me, cruising at 65. i imagined myself as trans for the first time, used those words to describe myself, imagined others understanding me as that. For the first time it wasn’t a fearful thing, for a few minutes. For the first time there was happiness in being trans, i didn’t have the feeling that being trans meant i had to do one thing or another. i didn’t have to be anything.

On that same trip i spent a lot of time wanting to be queer. Sitting by another river thinking about all the things i felt, all the things i wanted, all the things it felt like i wasn’t able to have. i wrote at length as i sat and thought as i drove.  

i remember feeling sublime joy, euphoria, as i trekked through Black Moshannon and imagined myself as nonbinary. 

i’ve always felt freest out here, in the forest. In nature.

in the dead of winter the forest promises life. in the heat of the summer it gives cool relief.

the outdoors is a promise, one we all are entitled to by virtue of existing, that life continues and will always continue. there is no set path. there is nothing else for you to do but to be as you are.

the warm sun greets you. the cool breezes reward you. all around are things built for others. pavilions, benches, trails. all without charge, emerging from a spirit of human decency. it’s hard to not have hope out here.

i wrote this, of course, on a hike. June 1, 2025.

Happy Pride.

– – – – – – – – – –

Postscript, as i wait for dinner (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and bread. All cooking now):

i recall last year, around this time, being at my lowest point. Being faced with a lot of questions and a lot of anxiety. More than anything feeling unlovable. To quote myself, writing this day last year:

“I don’t feel soft or pretty or wonderful or smart or insightful or witty or funny. Just sad suddenly. A terrible negativity. 

I think I’ve quite moved beyond gender and am just talking about life suddenly. Which is fine, as I suppose it all ties together. We can only feel certain in ourselves with all of our needs met. I would bet. Or at least it helps.“

Time makes a difference, but so does taking that step. Trying to open up, if only to one person. If only to oneself.

Perhaps we are called, as the religious are called to fast in anticipation of the feast, to open up in June. We are called to do the hard work of opening to ourselves and others, so as to prove our existence. So as to share in the existence of others. 

April 9, 2025

On the intangibles of cameras – or – the Olympus Pen EE-S

Filed under: Photography — Tags: , , — DrMundane @ 12:03 am

All I write is negative as of late, so I will share something positive instead.

One of the great things about old cameras is the feeling of them. They have a certain weight, a certain way they fit in the hand. Some have a certain quality that can just be understood by the tactile cues given. This definitely extends to the digital realm as well, such as my lovely Olympus E1 (old skool four-thirds).

The Olympus Pen EE-S is the kind of camera I expected to hate. I would never shoot with a scale focus, half frame, autoexposure point and shoot. It was a free camera, so it was probably worth about as much. But holding it felt different. Everything was precise. You could feel how well it was constructed and how well it held up over the 50 years it took to get to me.

I don’t know why I decided to take it with me on a trip, mostly as a wide coverage/ informal camera. So I shot it as such, just framing any shot that came to mind. 72 shots to a roll means that I can shoot forever and take every opportunity.

And that is the precise difference for this camera. The ability to shoot more in a digital style, shooting every idea I have and trying things I ordinarily wouldn’t on film. Plus it’s quiet and discreet. A soft shutter you’d never notice, small size. A friendly appearance. It’s a camera that somehow became incredibly special to me after that first roll. The kind I like to just hold in my hand and look at, to feel, to have with me. It feels representative of the kind of photography I’d like to do, introspective but friendly. Based in the wonder of the real world around us. Personal and quiet. Observational to a fault perhaps.

I took it out on a 2nd trip and ran two more 36 exposure rolls through it. My devotion to this little gem grew only stronger. At the beginning of the trip I was in quite a mood. Unhappy does get to the root of it. I felt unable to achieve my photographic goals for the trip. But I just started shooting with the Pen instead of shooting the expensive Fujichrome in my OM4. It did seem to help.

Unfortunately the shutter is sticking. It appears this is typical of Pens. I am quite broken up about it, it feels like loosing a wonderful thing that I expected to have forever. I do hope to fix it, and certainly can (although I expect I’ve messed up the focus already, so I would have to reset that once it’s all said and done). But until that time comes I still hold it fondly. I can imagine the dreams it let me dream, of the style and the feeling I wanted it to represent. A desire to live the kind of life where I had such a camera with me always, and I could capture all those interesting, typical moments and distill them down into one frame.

Is it the camera or the memories that attaches me? It must be both, right? They work with each other to enhance the effect. If you are comfortable and feel that sort of connection, perhaps the wonder and the kindness translates to the shots you pick.

Lucky for me I own *goes to count their cameras* 35 cameras right now, so I always have options. And I even have other small friendly cameras, including a half framer under test right now. But the intangible factor can’t be identified before hand, you have to try. One must be open to the new experience first, then you can fall in love.

-DrMundane

April 4, 2025

Quick Thoughts 2025-4-3

Filed under: Trans — Tags: , , — DrMundane @ 12:56 am

Reading an article in Dame Magazine this morning, “The Government Is Coming for Female Personhood“, I was of course struck rather early on that such a change to documentation requirements for voting would certainly act to disenfranchise trans people as well. But I usually like to have something to point to, not just the general well known fact that of course getting a complete set of matching documents poses great trouble for many people.

Although I do suppose my word ought to be good enough in light of how obvious this fact appears to me. As I was waiting on some negatives to scan, I thought I’d catch up with the stories over at Assigned Media. I was handed the perfect article to make my point: Texas Resorts to ‘Old Playbook’ to Institutionalize Bigotry and Sow Fear

To quote the important point, regarding proposed law in Texas:

Texas lawmakers pushed a bill to bar trans people from amending the gender on their birth certificates, a measure that could have harmful ripple effects on other forms of legal identification. 

And now, a quote from the Dame story on the proposed federal ID requirements:

In order to vote under Roy’s proposed guidelines, Americans would need to have the exact same name on both their birth certificate and their current ID

The two dovetail quite perfectly, yes?

Now a person in Texas under both proposed laws would be stuck with the option of either coming up with all identification that matches their identity or to relent to the dictates of the state as to how they should identify.

This of course doesn’t even account for those who, even if they have some ID that matches their identity, may not be able to change their birth certificate simply from an inability to navigate the system or put in the time. It of course acts as a barrier to voting all the same. Whether it is the law forbidding you from having documents that align with your gender or the no time to change every government record, such a system of course disenfranchises people all the same.

Even if perhaps your documents all match and you are willing to do what it takes to go vote (even going under some name forced upon you), there will be some worry in anyones mind as to being called out as not “matching” your ID. The act of being forced to stand out , to be marked, is disenfranchising. Taking the risk that you will be targeted for your presentation, for who you are, for having the audacity to vote while trans.

This is, of course, the point. The underclass must be preserved and put in their place. It is a resurrection of patriarchy as law and government, what they would call the “natural order”.

Trying to get my blogging muscles going again, so I will leave this here.

-DrMundane

January 31, 2025

Finding Family or Finding Victims?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — DrMundane @ 2:11 am

Family estrangement (in the sense of children or parents choosing to be disconnected from each other) is not a new topic for me. I remember reading issendai’s site on the topic in 2018 or so and finding the whole thing quite captivating. I generally subscribe to the view that we all have an absolute right to choose who we interact with and spend our time on, and that one does not owe anyone connection solely based on genetics.

Imagine my passion, then, when I read a piece by Lexi Pandell in WIRED this morning: “Are You Lonely? Adopt a New Family on Facebook Today“. Any look at estrangement will be complex, and without both sides I must admit I will be unable to make any definite statements one way or the other. But as Issendai pointed out those many years ago:

“The keywords to find abusers’ support communities are “estranged parents” and “grandparents’ rights.” – Down the Rabbit Hole

My worry with any such group is that it encourages people looking for support and emotional connection, which are certainly needed as much as any glass of water or meal, into a situation where they are matched with potentially abusive people. I know that is a bold claim that does not leave much room for good intent here. But I worry in such a way owing to the genesis of the group and it’s leader, whose actions with her own estranged family include the following:

Donna created another Facebook group, which is part open letter to her grandson, part chronicle of her experience as an estranged grandparent. She has written to her grandson about how he was a third cousin of Bob Dylan, sent him wishes for a happy Easter. She wrote letters about how his parents were keeping the family apart and attached an image of a $25 check written out to her son, which he had ripped up and returned. The content is incredibly personal, like encountering someone’s diary, but the group is public—how else would her grandson find it someday?

Her behavior is typical boundary pushing (writing checks and letters and sending them to the estranged child, thereby continuing to contact them against their wishes) and feels indicative of the kind of estranged parent that is toward the more narcissistic or abusive side. I do always err on the side of assuming children have good reasons for cutting contact, as the weight of society and perhaps your entire childhood press you to not sever your relationship with your parents.

Trying to contact people who do not wish to talk to you is abuse.

I think this article does not sufficiently deal with the family abuse dynamics that may be present, and thereby acts to rehabilitate it’s subjects (the estranged parents/grandparents). After all, they did not choose to follow parents who cut off their children, but those who were cut off.

The article cites one professional source:

Today, around 27 percent of American adults have cut off contact with a family member—one of the highest estrangement rates in the world. And it seems to be on the rise, according to Joshua Coleman, the psychologist and author of the buzzy 2021 book Rules of Estrangement. “Online support groups, Instagram influencers, TikTok influencers,” Coleman says, “all are huge contributors to this phenomenon.” While estrangement has always existed—abuse and divorce are common causes, as are disagreements over money, religion, sexual orientation, and politics—“never before was it characterized as a pathway to personal growth and identity the way it is today,” he says. But just as social media can lead to alienation, it can also bring people together. After all, Coleman runs his own private Facebook group for estranged parents and grandparents.

To my ears, this sounds like confusing a “left handedness” (or divorce rates post no-fault divorce) situation with “the kids are being influenced by social media to be trans, sorry, force of habit, to estrange their parents. I think the more logical explanation, and the one that preserves the children’s personhood and autonomy, would be as follows:

Given the nature of the parent child relationship up to the present day, in which the culture is and was so skewed towards owing your parents connection and respect solely for birthing you, is it any wonder that once presented with the view that, no, you actually are allowed to cut off your parents, that you are not inherently immoral or bad for doing so, and that there are good reasons for doing so, that more people would avail themselves of that remedy? It is no simple or easy task to decide on cutting family off. It is not a step these people take as a first resort. And yet, Coleman wants you to think of them as pursuing an identity. That they want internet clout and some apparently false ‘self-actualization’ all at the expense of the parents, who certainly didn’t do anything worth such drastic action….

You will find I do not believe in that line of thought. I feel as though they disregard the true feelings of these ‘children’ (many of who are, of course, full adults) as impulsive or somehow unconsidered. I think it is a construction that places them back into the role of children, who really ought to listen to their older and wiser betters. This incurious eye extends to the subjects of this piece. Turning back to our subject, we learn that the main subject of this piece, Karen, has two children, both of which have decided to cut off contact with her. As far as the information we have on the estrangement goes, it appears to be at the behest of the children and appears to be very limited to no contact. Given this, I find a couple of points of information very interesting.

Point the first:

Karen still expresses frustration and sadness about her daughters and keeps up with their whereabouts through mutual friends. When Angel the dog died, Karen texted her youngest daughter the news—but used a new number and posed as a family friend.

That sure sounds like circumventing a the younger daughter’s request to not be contacted. Why else use a new number and pose as a family friend? Thats a big strike and indica of abusive behavior to me, ignoring a clear boundary and circumventing perhaps the daughter’s blocking of her own number.

Point the second:

SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER my trip to Minnesota, Karen calls to say that she’s in touch with her youngest daughter again. Her daughter’s brain cancer has returned. Karen’s voice shakes; patients with this diagnosis tend to live five years, maybe less. She wants to help her daughter through treatment, but her daughter has only agreed to communicate by phone….

When Karen got the news of the diagnosis, she hired more workers for the farm so she could drop everything for her daughter. She waited for a call that never came; her daughter stopped responding. As months passed without her daughter asking for help, Karen was left with an open calendar.

This is a stark scenario. I can not imagine facing down my mortality and then faced with that also have to manage my relationship with my estranged parent. And then she clearly decided that she did not want to communicate with Karen. To me this is such a powerful message that I would find it so hard to believe anyone but the children. I take some small comfort in thinking the daughters have each other still, as the piece alludes to the daughters being involved with each other.

One final blow:

For years, Karen’s daughter made soap, helped with the goats, and manned farmers’ market tables. Then she turned 18 and got a boyfriend. She quit her job with Rapha Farms a few days after her 19th birthday and, not long after that, moved out of Karen’s house. She got married in 2023. Karen was not invited. “I honestly don’t understand what happened between us,” Karen wrote in a Rapha Farms Instagram post congratulating the couple

“I don’t understand what happened between us”

The missing missing reasons. I hate to lean so strongly on issendai, but I believe they have put together such a comprehensive account and analysis of family estrangement it will stick with me the rest of my days. I find it terribly prescient and convincing, and will always admit that my view is terribly shaped by it.

But yet it still tracks. She doesn’t know why her youngest daughter cut her off, it came out of the blue. We only hear one reason from her on why her youngest might have estranged, and it is this:

Four years later, in 2023, Karen’s younger daughter, with her older sister’s help, left too.

Is it the older sisters fault? This feels like the closest thing we get to a reason, and it either (in the kind view) reports only that the older daughter assisted the younger, or it implies the older daughter ‘convinced’ or otherwise pushed the younger to cut off their mother. I don’t find the 2nd view to be supported by just that text alone, but it still rattles in my mind. It feels like the sort of thing you get in these situations. Leaving in my drafting-note-to-self for this section as one last indicator of my incredible bias.

— last section before close reiterating my biased-as-hell I only believe the children view —

Abuse is a complicated thing. One does not spend all their time being abused, but may spend much of it in generally acceptable, or at least non-abusive, periods. One will even be happy on occasion. None of this changes the abusive parts of the relationship, though. I worry that people searching for connection may end up being matched with some folks who may end up victimizing them.

The found family dynamic, too, is complicated. I hope that the parent/child dynamic that can be so abused to control or manipulate children is not so strong in such a relationship made of free choice, therefore lowering the amount of effort required to sever ties if any such party wishes to.

I hope all these newfound families work out. I hope they are prosperous and help each other and everyone gets a chance to build and find families for themselves. We are all owed such a chance. We are all owed second chances too. I am, perhaps, overly negative and ascribing too much weight to the red flags.

But I worry this article obscures some warning signs that, to me, would preclude my involvement if I were so inclined to build a family. There are signs that are troubling, and things that to me signal some degree of caution. I think if one knows these things and has fair warning then you can take that risk, but this article does not provide any context or explanation of such issues.

January 19, 2025

AI and Gender – Heteronormativity?

Filed under: AI,Gender,Technology — Tags: , — DrMundane @ 2:33 pm

I came across a newsletter by Joanna Stern, wherein she reports that Apple Intelligence often adds a “husband” when it is summarizing her wife’s messages.

When asked about this, she reports Apple responded that

  • Apple’s AI tools were built with responsible AI principles to avoid perpetuating stereotypes and systemic biases.
  • Apple’s addressing these issues through updates to its AI tools and is improving the accuracy of its models.
  • The company is encouraging people to report these issues while these AI tools are still in beta.

Now all that is well and good, but I am of the belief that owing to the nature of this “AI” and the way I expect it is implemented, as generative artificial intellegence, that it will never be able to ‘outrun’ the bias inherent in its training material. That is to say that because the “AI” must be trained on a corpus of material prior to being able to generate the summaries (in my assumption of how it works) and because that corpus does not contain context that statistically will ever reflect the marginalized, queer, etc., then the “AI” will always be unable to “react” as a human would.

I have written previously about the intersection of gender and AI, see Gender Classifier and on Facial Recognition , and to be honest this post is mostly a marker of one more datapoint to add to my argument. I make it mostly so I will be able to track back to here once needed.

If the “AI” can not be trained and guide-railed enough to figure out a contact named “Wife” is someone’s wife, then it strikes me that the potential here is… limited. And I have no interest in submitting my work to become grist for this particular mill, even if it were to increase the quality.

This being my first post in a month, I will leave it here. Thanks much,

-DrMundane

December 8, 2024

Further Signs of What’s to Come

Filed under: Gender — Tags: , , — DrMundane @ 3:51 am

I have written before that I expected the Republican agenda to be one of trans genocide if they win. 

I (am considerably enriched by some Laphroaig Quarter Cask) suddenly feel the urge to write on this once more, now that the decision has been rendered and we are in for the whole cruel agenda. 

Perhaps it is because the agenda is now stated explicitly. Perhaps the Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti will deliver to the states the ability to deny care and thereby commit these murders. 

But new from Punchbowl News comes this story. No less than a commissioner of the FTC (The fucking ftc!) aiming to be the chair intends to engage in fighting against gender care. I think it is clear that this anti-trans genocide agenda will extend throughout every agency in the Trump government. 

They make it clear that this agenda does not just include youths but adults as well. To quote the apparent pitch:

“Fight back against the trans agenda. Investigate the doctors, therapists, hospitals, and others who deceptively pushed gender confusion, puberty blockers, hormone replacement, and sex-change surgeries on children and adults while failing to disclose strong evidence that such interventions are not helpful and carry enormous risks.”

I would be remiss if I did not state that these are all objectionable lies. Beyond that, it must be repeated. They state in black and white that their agenda extends to adults.

P.S.

found another great article that you must read

Yours,

DrMundane

December 3, 2024

Links you Should Read 2024-12-2

Filed under: AI,Consumerism,Daily Links,Technology — Tags: , — DrMundane @ 12:08 am

Starting with one from Wired this morning.

Sonos appears poised to go down the enshittification rabbit hole, if their fortunes do not turn. A particularly galling quote:

And while the overall speakers per household were actually up to 3.08 from 3.05 last year, with a slowing new user base, how can Sonos continue to make money in what is looking to be a saturated market?

The answer is they can’t! We’ve sold enough fucking smart speakers! Please stop the planet is literally heating up. It’s just emblematic of the omnipresent drive to grow and profit and extract. Even the journalists writing the story take it for granted that this must happen, and will not spend a single line arguing that they actually don’t need to grow year over year. Maybe their business model wasn’t sustainable, and they should learn the hard way why unlimited growth never works. Instead, they will use their new subscription ready app to squeeze the people who have already bought in. They have altered the deal, pray they do not alter it further.

For the next story, Mike Masnick over at Techdirt going over how he actually uses AI. An old post, but it came to my attention again in his newer post.

I must say I am fairly convinced that AI could be useful as a writing assistant. It does make me want to try it. But then again I have enough trouble writing when it only comes down to getting motivation. Adding more steps to my process would undoubtably prevent me from finishing.

I did have an occasion at a dinner party recently to actually talk to someone in education about their usage of AI. I was, at first, taken aback that someone in my real life actually uses AI and they have positive things to say about it. Their argument does mainly revolve around the “time” factor. They are used to having a lot on their plate, and for them AI is useful for creating presentations, simplifying language (write this so a 4th grader can understand), and otherwise helping them create new material quickly.

I mainly listened and questioned on this occasion, and did not get into my more… animated feelings. Still, I actually do hope to get into more discussions on AI in real life, and hopefully I will have the presence of mind to argue my full position convincingly.

That’s it for today, enjoy.

November 24, 2024

ChatGPT in the classroom – one thought experiment

Filed under: AI,Technology — Tags: , , — DrMundane @ 2:08 pm

Reading Mystery AI Hype Theatre 3000 this morning, on ChatGPT having no place in the classroom, and I tried out a little thought experiment. It goes something like this:

Let us assume we are in, say, an AP Literature class. I imagine the hardest part of grading such a class in reading and scoring several essays for each student over the year. I know for sure my terrible longhand cursive was a painful thing to read for my poor teacher. But what about an AI? Can the AI (unable to come to any factual conclusion or reason, just statistically generate) be used to speed this up?

I think the major problem is the inability to actually understand the students writing, but let us take for granted that improvements to large language models will somehow be able to overcome this fact with sufficient data and computation. That seems to be the claim of Altman and the others, but to be clear, they will not.

We know that currently these LLMs scrape data from the public internet, so can safely assume that they do have a robust source of information on AP Literature questions, books, themes, etc., from forums and other sources seeking to help students. Much of the writing will be done by students themselves, so another bonus is that it is writing representative of the population. So far that seems reasonable.

But there is already one problem. The writing is not representative of the whole population of AP Literature students, only those with access to these online resources and/or willingness to engage with them. I was a student who would never workshop their ideas or practice their writing online. I was simply too private for that sort of thing. The dataset certainly would never include my writing.

I would therefore argue that any such LLM grading students work would be inherently biased against students whose writing does not line up with the LLMs source material. It knows which essays deserve a 5 and which deserve a 1 based on it’s dataset. Based on statistics. It does not understand the rubric or intent, and therefore is unable to rate new (to it) but correct writing in a fair manner. You will therefore teach students to write like the corpus of text ingested by the model, not to find their voice and style. You teach them to look at the prompt and come up with the ‘correct’ answer, not an answer that necessarily comes from their own experience and understanding of the literature in question.

I think this alone makes the use of AI impossible in the classroom, owning to the discriminatory potential.

Another example that springs to mind: what about queer analysis? What about LGBTQ+ students? Will their viewpoints and experiences be reflected in the corpus? I doubt this highly. This means any such student may be able to write a brilliant analysis of a book through a queer lens and it will matter not, because statistically it doesn’t match what a ‘5’ is to look like. It uses all sorts of words that probably aren’t associated with ‘5’ essays. The LLM may even deem them ‘profane’. It therefore is not a ‘5’, in the view of the LLM.

I think these two thought experiments illustrate why I believe, beyond all the technical problems and overselling, that even a GPT that lives up to the hype and can be made factually correct will never be suitable for any evaluative work. Used to such an end, the AI encourages normative expression and discourages breaking boundaries. It truly discourages real feeling and art.

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