I’m focused on positive thoughts in 2025, hoping to bring more positive energy to the chaos of this country, and to an extent, the world.
There are so many instruments of negativity in the modern world. Let’s continue to be positive influences on those around us.
Even though it’s 15 years old, I like to take my Canon EOS Rebel XS out and about once in a while. I feel inspired when I carry this camera, and we can all use a little inspiration.
In the new year I’m trying to use pixelfed in the Fediverse. You can follow me there if you so desire.
The tech giant was accused of eavesdropping on its customers through its virtual assistant Siri.
The claimants also allege voice recordings were shared with advertisers.
Apple, which has not admitted any wrongdoing, has been approached for comment.
In the preliminary settlement, the tech firm denies any wrongdoing, as well as claims that it “recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete, conversations recorded as the result of a Siri activation” without consent.
Apple’s lawyers also say they will confirm they have “permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019”.
But the claimants say the tech firm recorded people who activated the virtual assistant unintentionally – without using the phrase “Hey, Siri” to wake it.
They say advertisers who received the recordings could then look for keywords in them to better target ads.
Connor Hayes, vice president of product for generative AI at Meta, tells London’s Financial Times, “We expect these AIs to actually exist on our platforms in the same way that [human] accounts do.”
So, now we’re going to have non-human users using social media owned by Meta, interacting with regular users. And let’s not get into my feelings around that profile summary shown in the screenshot.
Bluesky saw a massive surge in users in 2024. The social media platform has become one of the primary destinations for those leaving X (formerly Twitter). This year, 22.9 million people signed up for Bluesky. Over half of those new users (over 13 million) joined the platform in just the last month and a half.
Welp, look what happened after the idiotic results of the U.S. Presidential Election.
2025 is going to be a very, let’s go with interesting year, especially in the tech space. As FAANG* continues to use “A.I.” as a solution looking for a problem, we’ll probably see record temperatures as the “A.I.” industries continue to need more and more energy for these ‘solutions’.
* I also learned this week that FAANG stands for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google.
There is so much beauty around us, but so many folks are just too busy to see it. I snapped this photo yesterday, hoping the windmill would stand out just a little bit better. But alas, it blends in with the landscape a bit, while the other colors dance around it.
I get it.
When I got home and first took a look at the photo on my computer I was struck by the vivid colors. The desert is so beautiful. And sometimes, hidden in the backdrop, a windmill stands alone.
Tonight I made a (long) list of things I’m angry about. And then I burned the list, traversed the ashes three times, and then quashed that which remained.
I then looked up at the clear, star filled night sky, and thanked the Universe for who I am.
That list is gone. It’s time to move on
Happy New Year.
Earl and I decided to go for a little road trip to celebrate New Year’s Day. We weren’t looking to put hundreds of miles on the car; I wanted to see what was south of the fairly nearby community of Sonoita. I had heard there was some good storm chasing down in those parts during Monsoon Season, and this would be a good opportunity to get a lay of the land so I know what my options look like when lightning shot opportunities move into the region.
Parker Canyon Lake is in the Coronado National Forest. It’s fairly close to the Mexican border, but not close enough where you can see the wall or anything. The area is quite scenic and there were quite a few campers doing their thing in the various campgrounds. I love the fact that people can go camping in January.
I took a bunch of photos in the area.
On the way home we stopped at a brewery some friends recommended. Situated in the small town of Sonoita is the Copper Brothel. We had a nice lunch before making the trek back to Tucson.
It was a wonderful way to start the new year.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!
