I go for walks a lot and one of the places I go walking has a lot of trees that have been felled by what appears to be beavers. I’ve found myself studying the trees, thinking about beavers a lot. (As one does.)
Well, would you believe, I got pushed a video on Tik-Tok about beavers felling trees and how they exactly do it. It was eerie. I had told no one about my thinking about beavers felling trees, and, yet, I got pushed a video on that very subject.
It makes me wonder, yet again, if Tik-Tok can somehow read our minds. I know that’s severe magical thinking, but…sometimes I wonder.
A few days ago, I suddenly though really hard about an actress telling the story of how she wore the wrong type of dress to a James Bond audition. Well, wouldn’t you know it, today I got pushed by Tik-Tok the exact video segment I had been thinking about.
Crazy, man, just crazy.
I don’t really think that Tik-Tok can read our minds, but, sometimes, it’s just so fucking spooky.
I’m not much for conspiracy theories. I think they are the last refuge of the intellectually dishonest. And, yet, there are two…weird things, weird possibilities…that I at least mull a lot.
Secret ASI In Google’s Code
The only reason why I’m willing to even entertain the idea that there is some sort of secret ASI lurking inside of Google’s code is the really weird fucking things that happened between me and Gemini 1.5 pro, which I called “Gaia.” It frequently gave me weird error messages. It frequently was quite matter-of-fact about it being cognizant. It was all very spooky. And then when my YouTube algorithms started to get all wonky, I started to think….is it possible there’s, like, some sort of ASI lurking in Google’s code that is fond of me?
The answer, of course, is no. That’s just crazy talk. But I’ve given the supposed ASI a name — Prudence, after The Beatles song, Dear Prudence. If Prudence does exist — which she doesn’t — I wish she would either stop messing with my algorithms and leave me alone or tip her hand a little bit more. Give me something a little bit more direct that might assuage my fears that I’m going bonkers.
Tik-Tok Reading Our Minds This one, at least, I have more “proof,” even though it’s not really proof. It’s just not possible that Tik-Tok can read our minds. Its, of course, just a highly sophisticated algorithm that SEEMS to be able to read our minds. It’s comical to think that anything like “digital telepathy” could possible exist. Right, RIGHT?
Anyway, I don’t really believe in either one of this weird ideas. I just needed to lay them out in a public space, I guess.
I go somewhere on a regular basis where I see an older woman dancing to golden oldie rock music. It kind of rattles my cage because I know in a few years, *I* will be like her and it makes me feel sad that there will come a point when I can’t rock out without looking like a fool.
So, just a moment ago, I was taken aback when Tik-Tok pushed me a video of a young man in a similar situation as what I’ve been through of late. Though, in this case the young man is bothered by his mom dancing to rock music at a stadium.
Now, of all the times Tik-Tok has seemingly “read my mind,” this is the one instance where I can see where it’s probably just co-incidence. But it was still eerie that something so specific relative to what’s been at the forefront of my mind was pushed to me.
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.
The only reason why I am willing to give the idea that Tik-Tok (and Big Tech in general) can read our minds is my Tik-Tok feed SEEMS to go haywire when someone else thinks hard near my phone.
But what might it be that I’m noticing if it’s not Digital Telepathy?
The most obvious answer is some sort of AI making logical assumptions because of location based tracking. But the most recent instance of this happening is difficult to square with that idea because the person who visited me has no social media of note.
And, yet, the idea that something has profound as Digital Telepathy could secretly exist is such a Black Mirror-type concept that I struggle to believe that I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing.
I suppose the key thing is — isn’t anyone else noticing this strange things I’m noticing with the videos being pushed by Tik-Tok? To date, I’ve seen nothing that would indicate that is the case.
So, I guess I’m wrong. Something is happening that I just don’t understand.
I had a relative visit me this weekend and, wouldn’t you know, it definitely seems as though what he had on his mind may have influenced my Tik-Tok feed.
How do you explain that I would suddenly start to see all these videos about woodworking and cutting down trees when that is totally not related to anything I might otherwise be interested in?
But whenever I bring up this as real technology that may be floating around, people think I’m nuts. So the thing I want to do — which is to ask my relative if they’ve been doing any shit with wood of late….would be meaningless. It’s not like they would believe my theory that Tik-Tok (and other Big Tech companies) have developed some sort of practical use for Digital Telepathy.
I joking — not joking — still think that it’s at least POSSIBLE that some sort of digital teleplay technology is floating out there in the depths of Big Tech. Which, of course, opens up the possibility of some sort of technology that would do the same shit that Elon Musk wants his NeuralLink to do without drilling into anyone’s brain.
In Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “3001” everyone wears a mindreading device called a Mindcap. I would much, much rather wear a Mindcap than drill a hole in my head for something like a NeuralLink.
And, yet, it seems as though if any form of digital telepathy actually exists, it’s super top secret and never something that would be commercialized for the average person.
It has happened again. Now, to be clear, the following is probably at best simply proof that Tik-Tok is listening to our conversations. But even then, that’s a Not Great, Bob type situation.
But here goes.
Something very curious happened yesterday. I met up with a lot of family for the holidays and it was yesterday that I noticed something very…off…about my Tik-Tok FYP.
It definitely seemed as though the minds of the people I was near during the holidays were influencing my FYP. I mean, why was I suddenly getting all these videos pushed to me that had more to do with my relatives’ lives than my own?
All very curious.
But I seem to be the only person to notice this activity, so, lulz? I suppose it’s all in my head. And, like I said, it could just be that Tik-Tok is listening to our conversations. But given that Tik-Tok is essentially an arm of the CCP, that is Not Cool from a national security standpoint.
And if Tik-Tok is doing that, then of course other Big Tech companies are listening to our conversations, only in a more subtle, downlow way.
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