November 22, 2023

Around town.

 At the UPS store:

IMG_4341 4

In the Wisconsin State Capitol:

IMG_4350 3

At the café:

IMG_4355 2

Write about whatever you want in the comments.

61 comments:

Aggie said...

Looks like the folks at the State Capital are chock full of Holiday Cheer.

Mike Sylwester said...

This is from Mike Sylwester, who used to participate in this Althouse blog.

I suffered a stroke in on February 3, 2023, and then was hospitalized until February 28, 2023. I continued to receive at-home therapy until mid-June. I have been working again since August 3, but only half-time.

A major consequence of my stroke is that I have become dyslexic. I had been a big reader, but now my reading is slow and tedious.

My listening comprehension still is normal, and I still can touch-type fairly well.

I have not suffered any paralysis. However, my balance is faulty; I walk as if I were intoxicated.

Since my stroke, I have not driven a car. I do not answer the phone.

Until now, I have not written any e-mails and have not written on any of my blogs.

Today, however, I now am celebrating Thanksgiving -- and my gradual recovery -- by beginning to participate in this blog again.

Joe Smith said...

Have a great day tomorrow : )

Gobble...

rcocean said...

Is that hot Chocolate?

BUMBLE BEE said...

Happy Turkey Day all.

Ann Althouse said...

Welcome back Mike. I’m sorry to hear of your troubles and touched that have chosen to contribute to the comments here as part of your comeback.

selfanalyst said...

Welcome back Mike Sylw! May your recovery continue with patience and grace.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Good to hear from you Mike.

etbass said...

Mike, you have been one of the most insightful commenters on this blog and have been sorely missed. My sincere regrets for the grave illness and all the best wishes and prayer for your recovery.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Mike - nice to see you here, writing! wonderful. Sorry to hear you had a stroke.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all at Althouse.

Birches said...

Oh wow. Happy to hear from you Mike. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dave Begley said...

Mike.

You were missed. Keep fighting.

Kate said...

Hello, Mike!! Welcome back and a blessed Thanksgiving.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Tomorrow, it'll be Cornish game hens on the bbq (90-minute cook time), mashed potatoes/broccoli/cheese and salad. It's been a while since we've had Cornish game hens, so they should be good.

Christmas dinner will be St. Louis-style spare ribs on the bbq. Those take about 6-hrs. Seasoning is woodfired-garlic, pepper and Johnny's Seasoning salt. Nothing fancy.

I use a Traegor wood pellet grill with maple pellets. Maple works for most meats. The grill will maintain the set temperature and there's a meat thermometer. It's hooked into the wifi, so I can monitor from inside the house.

Lucien said...

Welcome back Mike. In your absence all has been tranquil, bucolic and . . . Civil. Happy Thanksgiving.

Big Mike said...

Forty teeth in that skull? Which hominid species is depicted?

TickTock said...

So much to say here. As usual, Dylan said it best. There's a battle outside and it's raging ...

1. November 22 6:51 pm (Reuters) - Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. ... Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup's search for what's known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.
Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing math on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*’s future success, the source said.

2. When OpenAI's team told director Helen Toner the board's actions could trigger the company's collapse, she replied, “That would actually be consistent with the mission." Behind the scenes of the OpenAI saga w/
@dseetharaman @berber_jin1

https://wsj.com/tech/ai/altman-firing-openai-520a3a8c?st=mserhjzg2eflgdb… via
@WSJ


3. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Sam Altman is returning as CEO of OpenAI just days after his ouster, capping frenzied discussions about the startup at the center of an artificial intelligence boom. November 21, 2023.

4. November 21, 2023. The Federal Trade Commission has approved an omnibus resolution authorizing the use of compulsory process in nonpublic investigations involving products and services that use or claim to be produced using artificial intelligence (AI) or claim to detect its use.

5. "Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
around you have grown

...

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'


Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'"

James K said...

Best wishes for a full recovery, Mike.

Joe Smith said...

Get well Mike!!!!!

wendybar said...

Welcome back, Mike Sylwester!

Sorry to hear about what happened to you, but happy to hear you are back. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

MadTownGuy said...

Glad to 'see' you back, Mike S.

paminwi said...

Mike, prayers and strength for continued progress.

tim maguire said...

Welcome back, Mike. I hope your recovery continues.

tim maguire said...

Interesting juxtaposition between regular people having fun with the materials on hand and what we get from government spending taxpayer dollars.

Jersey Fled said...

Best wishes Mike

Big Mike said...

Welcome back Mike Sylwester.

Breezy said...

Best wishes for continued recovery, Mike. And Happy Thanksgiving to all!

boatbuilder said...

Hey, Mike--Welcome back! And hang in there, Bud.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Hey Mike, good to have ya back!

Aggie said...

Happy Thanksgiving all - be thankful, and show your gratitude.

Iman said...

Happy Thanksgiving and best wishes, Mr. Sylwester!

Iman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rehajm said...

Good to see you here Mike- you were missed! Hoping you continue to recover and will look for your comments…

Humperdink said...

Headline: "New Jersey to Ban Gas Vehicle Sales by 2035".

Hugely disappointed they chose 2035. If only they would made it 2034. Think of the difference 365 days would have made on the planet. Isn't the science settled on this existential (gag me) threat to humanity?

Quayle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rusty said...

Mike Sylwester said...
Oh, man. I'm sorry to hear that Mike.I hope your recovery goes smoothly and we see you around here more often.

Jamie said...

Welcome back, Mike S! Can anyone here recommend speech recognition/reading software that could ease the burden of reading all our nonsense?

Rusty said...

Big Mike said...
"Forty teeth in that skull? Which hominid species is depicted?"
It's freshman art. Cut em some slack.

The Crack Emcee said...

Welcome back, Mike. Hang tough, Dude. And learn to laugh, if you don't already. Here's a joke: Guy gets on an elevator with a woman. He says "Excuse me, can I smell your feet?"

She says "NO!"

He says "Must be your pussy."

The Crack Emcee said...

That second piece of art makes me think we're back in the '50s.

Derve Swanson said...

a thanksgiving miracle

Jamie said...

That's a hardcore start to the day, Crack!

Also: I hereby pledge to try to do a better job of proofing my comments before posting, and maybe even try to shorten the compound sentences, in case anyone is using reading software. Thanks for the reminder, Mike S, that our entertainment here is not without cost!

The Crack Emcee said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody - Ann, Meade.

I'm thankful for this.

Humperdink said...

Nice to hear from you Mike. Press on with your healing regimen!! Adding you to our prayer list.

Howard said...

Welcome back, Mike. Keep on Trucking

Maynard said...

Welcome back Mike. I hope that you have a full recovery.

Getting older sorta sucks, except for the wisdom gained from experience.

Immanuel Rant said...

Mike - I am nothing but a lurker, but missed reading your comments.

Welcome back.

Christopher B said...

Steve Hayward refutes the neo-isolationist claim we've been seeing here recent that the US is responsible for funding Israeli defense spending

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/11/the-daily-chart-israeli-defense-spending.php

Quayle said...

Mike, your writing today - your words - are a blessing to us all. Simple words made beautiful by the hope and faith that made them possible.

For the joy of human love
Brother, sister, patent, child.
Friends on earth and friends above.
…and our blog friend Mike

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Narr said...

Just saw Mike S's return announcement. Glad to have you back, Mike!

cf said...

wow! Bless your heart, Mike S, and glad you are back!
Wishing you full and joyful years ahead.

Big Mike said...

Welcome back, Mike S! Can anyone here recommend speech recognition/reading software that could ease the burden of reading all our nonsense?

@Jamie, my son used Dragon after he suffered a pediatric stroke back in his teenaged years.

Original Mike said...

Hoping for your continued progress, Mike.

Happy Colonization Day (aka Thanksgiving), Althousians!

BG said...

Best wishes on your recovery, Mike S.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it’s only that you weren’t the one who had to clean up the dog’s mess.

Lucien said...

Big Mike: The extras must be wisdom teeth.

Lucien said...

Big Mike: The extras must be wisdom teeth.

Jersey Fled said...

“Headline: New Jersey to ban gas vehicle sales by 2035”

And they are still baffled about how they have been losing several billions of dollars of AGI every year for more than a decade due to outmigration.

This is a crazy ban, though. People can keep their existing gas powered vehicles and buy and sell used gas powered under the “ban”. It only applies to purchases of new vehicles made within the state. You can still register new vehicles purchased in other states.

I’d hate to be a new car dealer in NJ when the ban goes into effect. (Which of course it never will, wink nod. It’s all virtue signaling)

And of course it would operate as a de facto reverse cash for clunkers program as it would encourage people to keep their old gas powered clunkers rather than buy expensive new EV’s.

Now let’s get to the part that the ban is regressive and racist.

guitar joe said...

Best wishes to Mike Sylwester. Good to see you here again. Hope your recovery continues.

Tomcc said...

Glad you're feeling well enough to post, Mike Sylwester! I hope your recovery exceeds expectations.

farmgirl said...

Mike S- I’m just getting caught up on my Althouse posts and am so very glad you felt the Thanksgiving nudge to post a comment:0) What a great reason to be grateful- for your recovery and return!!!

Keep working hard and each today will (hopefully)be better than yesterday.

It’s touching how tight knit a blog can be.
Even if we disagree …

Tina Trent said...

Best wishes, Mike S.