Smuel's good morning extravaganza

So you bought stock in Gamestop?

Good morning.

 

Slippery slope arguments are a slippery slope.

 

Today, on Smuel Treats This Forum Like His Personal Blog, we look at another prediction.

So, you're probably aware of "deep fake" videos, where sophisticated "AI" algorithms are used to replace one person's face in an ordinary video with another, i.e. without needing to use green screen or any other special filming methods. This is just the tip of the iceberg for video processing. It is rapidly getting to the point where you could replace whole people, or remove them entirely, or add them in from other footage, and the software will take care of things like matching lighting levels and projecting shadows and so on, for a seamless result.

You're probably also aware that fan edits are a thing, e.g. someone has taken the three Star Wars prequels and re-edited them into a single film that cuts out some of the sillier bits.

And you may have heard that the final season of Game of Thrones sucked, and deviated substantially from what George R.R. Martin was intending.

Put all these together, and it seems obvious to me that within a few years of the final Song of Ice and Fire book being released, there will be a fan-made edit of the whole Game of Thrones show, incorporating deleted scenes, unused footage, and applying all of the advanced deep fake style tools that will exist by then for both visuals and sound. The end result will be a pretty faithful adaptation of the whole completed book saga with the same familiar faces from the existing TV show, and at broadly the same quality.

Then YouTube will immediately take it down for copyright violation, so we won't be able to watch it. But still, pretty cool, right?

Good morning.

 

Star wars movies made by disnei loves the deep faking. Which is a bit sad.

Good morning.

 

I think that may be faked.

Good morning.

 

I've just found out that some people seem to be using the term "humanist" to mean "not vegan".

I'm all for language evolving and words changing their meaning historically over time. But I've been born now, so if we could all keep everything exactly the way it currently is and stop changing things from now on, that'd be great.

Good morning.

 

Well, balls. My answer to the question "Are you a feminist?" used to be "No, I'm a humanist". Or at least it would have been if anyone had ever asked me that.

Now I'm going to have to come up with a different stock answer that I'll never get the opportunity to use instead.

Good morning.

 

Just confess to being a Smuelist.

Good morning.

 

"A liberal is a man too broad-minded to take his own side in a quarrel" - Robert Frost.

So no Smuelists here.

Apart from your mom, of course.

Good morning.

 

In other news, come back Jojobobo! We need to discuss Joss Whedon!

Good morning.

 

My mother is NOT dark! I'm offended that you would...

Wait, I mean, there's nothing wrong with being dark. They're great people. Tremendous people. I have many dark friends. It just happens to be the case that my mother is not one of them. That is to say, I believe dark people and light people are equal, and discrimination is bad. And I would never do it because I don't think that dark people are different from white people. Light people! Not white people. I think I said light people. No, sir, YOU misheard me. And really we're all people together, regardless of the colour of our skin. Which is not something I really think about day to day. But if I did it would only be to think about how it doesn't matter. Oh boy, I hope none of this gets taken out of context.

So, how about that Joss Whedon?

Good morning.

 

Two alien scientists, one blue and one green, discusses their new invention, a chemical solution which can change the color of the skin. "No more racism since everybody will be the same color!" Says the blue one. "And everybody will finally understand how stupid is racism!" Says the green one. "Civilization will put all differences aside and become one happy society!" Says the blue one. "A new era awaits!" Says the green one. "Great, now take a sip and you'll become blue!" "Blue?! Ewg, how dare you!"

 

Anyway, what's all the fuss with Joss Whedon?

Good morning.

 

Actually I haven't been following the story very closely, so I don't know.

Good morning.

 

That's all we needed, a conservative rapper

Good morning.