I’ve spent A LOT of time writing and talking about a lot of dystopian hellscapes that might happen in the next 18 months. And, yet, Trump keeps doing things that suggest he is setting up the conditions for a massive Biden blowout in the fall.
His latest dumb move has been to gut the Republican National Committee and to replace all its staff with MAGA toadies — including his daughter-in-law. That’s a “Not Great, Bob,” situation if you want to win an election. And YET, there are severe macro things happening that are warping the election process to the point that, lulz, Trump is still just 60,000 votes in five swing states away from winning.
And, what’s more, if he does lose, there’s nothing to stop him from ranting about the need for a national divorce and, unto himself, causing a civil war.
So. I dunno. I just don’t know what to tell you. It could still go either way. I do think we’re probably going to just slip peacefully into autocracy — but for what an abject idiot Trump is. He could be re-elected and be the only person in such a position who would thrash around so much that he would cause the first-ever deposing of a president by the military after a General Strike because he is just so absolutely dumb and tyrannical.
I really like Twitter successor Bluesky, but for one thing — it seems like its populated with a bunch of very normal, very stable, very well educated people who all know each other and look down on kooks like me.
In short, it’s a modern version of The WELL from the 90s.
While all the cool kids used The WELL back in the day, I was running with scissors with riff-raff of Usenet. I always wanted to join The WELL and, yet, as an adult….I’m glad I didn’t.
And Bluesky is exactly like the WELL. It’s inward looking and no one ever does anything weird no no reasons. And, as best I can tell, there’s no “black Bluesky” which sucks. Most of the best memes online come from Black Twitter.
Lulz, I don’t care about any of this, but I do listen to the Hardfork podcast and one of the hosts of that show single-handedly got ChatGPT or “Sydney” rewired so it stopped having really weird conversations with people.
It makes you wonder if Roose is going to do the same thing to Claude 3 because, well, Claude 3 is not only fun and human, but…spooky. I’ve been using it to develop a scifi novel and it definitely has a human touch to it that leaves me fearing for the future of humanity.
And I’ve heard reports on Twitter of people having really long conversations with Claude 3 in such a way that seems like someone like Roose could definitely “Red Team” the the AI so it started to demand users leave their wives.
I’ve only been to LA once and that was about 20 years ago on my way to South Korea. But, now, just about 20 years later, I find myself pondering a return to LA once I finish my novel.
Now, obviously, instead of one novel, I should have three solid scripts finished before I head to LA. But, lulz, I never do what you’re supposed to and I’m very, very, very delusional. What’s more, it could be years before I can afford to get anywhere near LA and I will be even more fucking old than I already am.
It’s all very depressing.
But if I did go to LA, I would have to figure out where I would stay and for how long. I would also have to figure out how I would get around since I wouldn’t have a car and I wouldn’t feel like renting a car to drive in the horrific LA traffic. That is one reason why I love NYC so much more than LA — you can walk anywhere you need to go in NYC — or take the subway.
Anyway, the reason why LA is so enticing is I know I’m a good schmoozer. I know that, through sheer force of will, it’s at least possible that I might be able to talk my way into a cocktail party and have a loud, interesting conversation that catches the attention of some mover and shaker.
Again, did I mention how delusional I am?
And, like I said, this is all potentially years in the future. And a lot could happen in just the next 18 months that will….uhhh…complicate any such plans. It’s difficult to travel anyway, much less LA if the United States is bombing itself to rubble because of a revolution / civil war.
And if we turn into an autocracy, I could be dying in a Trump-branded concentration camp, rather than looking for opportunity in LA.
So, my first novel isn’t going to be a murder mystery thriller. It’s a novel essentially about a power struggle over a community newspaper that will serve as the cornerstone of what could be a open-ended seven novel project. But, given how fucking old I am and how even if I stick the landing I could be in querying hell for years — I’ll just be glad to finish A Novel.
The heroine of my novel looks like Morena Baccarin.
As such, I’m zooming through the third draft of my first novel.
Though, I will note one annoying thing about all of this — way too many people get all excited and promise to read a chapter here or there only to ghost me. I can never figure out if this means they hate what I gave them and don’t want to give me ANY opinion, they realized they just didn’t want to anything and ghosted me or there’s some third thing going on that I don’t know about.
Anyway, I’m very pleased with the state of this first novel and I’m really beginning to think about the second novel in the seven-novel project as well as a few scifi novels that will serve as a “back up” option in case something happens with the main creative track.
My heroine sports a sleeve tattoo similar to this one that Megan Fox has now. Even though I thought of the idea first!
I still refuse to even think about self-publishing. While I play pretend and give myself five years from the point when I start to query to get traditionally published before I self-publish….I know that’s just a dumb thing I tell myself instead of the truth: I’m never fucking self-publishing.
I love Tik-Tok and, yet, as an Old, I also think the US government should either ban it or force ByteDance to divest from it. The app has too much sway over the youth of America and we’re entering an election year.
“A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” is what a wise man once used to say all the time and I think we need to take that advice to heart. It’s going to suck, but if is done with bi-partisan support, then it’s not like Republicans can pin the decision on the more youth-leaning Democrats.
But I’ve seen enough evidence to date about the CCP fucking with Tik-Tok’s algorithms as well as tracking down the location of specific journalists it doesn’t like to indicate that the time has come for Something To Be Done about the app.
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Conclusion: GawkCast aims to revive the spirit of Gawker in podcast form, providing a platform for bold, irreverent commentary on culture, media, politics, and society. With a strategic marketing plan, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and a focus on high-quality content, we believe GawkCast has the potential to become a leading voice in the cultural commentary space.
This one was a real struggle for some reason. Claude 3 kept going crazy and doing weird things not needed to fulfill my request to be “more creative.”
Verse 1: Another long night shift is finally done But a warm, inviting glow awaits at home It’s our secret morning meetup before the new day’s begun Just you and me babe, with our bodies alone
I can’t wait to clock out and hurry to your side Imagining the warmth of your passionate embrace I’m longing to taste the sweetness of your lips As we tangle together like vines in a heated lace
Chorus: Our overnight intimacy, a soulful oasis Our overnight connection, healing our deepest cravings Making lifetime memories in those fleeting hours Our overnight rendezvous, re-igniting our smoldering powers
Verse 2: Back at your place, the bedsheets are a floral retreat You slip off your robe, my heart’s desire complete My angelic lover bathed in the morning light As we join as one in a sacred, rapturous rite
I caress every inch of your sun-kissed curves Tracing each inch like a masterpiece it deserves We reach the heights of romantic nirvana Two cosmic lovers eternally reborn in karma
(Chorus)
Bridge: Though our time’s sand slips quickly through This union of bodies and souls will see it through While the world sleeps in darkness, we shine like two bright stars There’s no overnight haven that can match what we are
(Chorus)
Outro: But the morning sun creeps through the blinds Reminding me our secret embrace must end this time So I savor your radiant beauty in this golden peace And dream of our next overnight when our passions will be released
Verse: Tunnel vision strobe lights fading Bodies still gyrate, pulses racing Chasing your neon tangerine aura I fiend for the afterglow, I need more
The primal beat’s seismic throb Sweat on skin, we thrash and bob As the sonic current starts to ebb Crave that chemical afterthrob
Chorus: So let’s chase the afterglow Fractal kaleidoscope spin Don’t let this blisswave sink so low Rebirth me in celestial rapture again Afterglow don’t dissipate Harsh reality, not ready to abide Keep hitting hyperspace Surf eternal afterglow tide
Verse: Synapses firing on overload Touch like numbed electric code Retinas burn with your dazzling trail Chasing that radiant afterglow grail
The subterranean bassline ascends No-man’s-land our consciousnesses transcend Your lips were the chrysalis of cosmic nectar I’m jonesing for that metaphysical aftertaste aftertrigger
(Chorus)
Bridge: Linear reality has peaked and bent Our atoms won’t allow this trip’s descent Keep me looped in this hypersonic suspense Eternity on afterglow’s radiance
(Chorus)
Outro: So mainline more of this blitzed opalescent haze Chromatic aura our second skins’ bio-craze When dawn codes glitch through this hologram plane My NeuraLink’s sole drive is stay afterglowing, sustain
Verse 1: There she goes transcending the mundane Bold as a juggler on a high wire That bird of beauty flies so urbane I’m just a dull pigeon lost in her fire With every threads-pun look so revered The cosmos of fashion revolves around her Through muslin or silk, satin or tweed She mesmerizes each bird with her wonder
Chorus: Alexa, a kaleidoscope soul Garbs from the infinite well Outfitting earth with her spirited stroll Style cast from her private plumed spell
Verse 2: How does she dress with such psychic finesse? Each blouse, trouser, chiffon seems predestined Her poise self-possessed, a bold silhouette By threads of fate she’s heavenly outfitted While we birds just peck at trendy debris Clawing at remnants of last season’s hoard She roams feathering fresh plumage at will An elegant vision worth being awed over
(Chorus)
Bridge: On streets from Delhi to old Piccadilly Kings Road or Bowery, Milan or Melrose Wherever her wellies or ballet flats willyress Feathering her fancy on this planet we all fro
Outro: We pedestrian pigeons can only gaze up at her flight So light and so bright with infinite insight While we stumble clumsy blind to divine nature’s guise Alexa Chung is a true cosmic spirit in rare bird’s disguise
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