Althouse: Sunrise

March 3, 2025

Sunrise — 6:36.

Write about whatever you want in the comments.

56 comments:

rhhardin said...: I asked copilot what bursts out in the following Mallarme passage

We know, captives of an absolute formula that, of course, there is nothing but what is. However, incontinentiy to put aside, under a pretext, tbe lure, would point up our inconsequence, denying the pleasure that we wish to take: for that beyond is its agent, and its motor might I say were I not loath to operate, in public, the impious dismantling of the fiction and consequently of the literary mechanism, so as to display the principal part or nothing. But, I venerate how, by some flimflam, we project, toward a height both forbidden and thunderous! the conscious lacks in us of what, above, bursts out.

It answered with freshman analysis of the real world and the ideal world that poetry brings to us, which it thought was expected of it.

I said I thought what bursts out is the very literary effect of something bursting out that Mallarme aimed to produce, and that it would be invisible to any AI since it was never referred to.

Copilot said that was a very astute analysis, which again is what would be expected of it.

Basically it's a yes-man packed with cliches.; 3/3/25, 7:14 PM
Gerda Sprinchorn said...: Matt Taibbi has a post about how the U.S. Government paid internet influencers to put out the party line on the Ukraine war. How many commenters here are sponsored? By whom are they sponsored? How can you tell?

Taibbi writes:

Following just this one group of contractors reveals the United States spent hundreds of millions of dollars on “social media influence” all over the world. In Ukraine, much of the money went to European middlemen who created dummy Internet personalities to sell the war. They put this in writing! Zinc was obligated $1.23 million from the State Department’s Office of Acquisition Management for two contracts, each of which would “identify, train, and engage 25 to 40 social media influencers” who’d “produce and publish their own social media content in line with U.S. Foreign policy objectives.”

Your tax dollars, turned into dummy social media accounts.

https://www.racket.news/p/farewell-to-volodymyr-zelensky-the?publication_id=1042&post_id=158193741&isFreemail=false&r=2ip4z2&triedRedirect=true; 3/3/25, 7:29 PM
Jaq said...: AI is very flattering, which is one of the problems that comes with using it to help you edit your writing. I think that Solzhenitsyn said that the yes man is an enemy.; 3/3/25, 7:43 PM
Jaq said...: It's amazing to me how many purported lefties on here, based on their comments on the Ukraine war, sound as if they have portraits of Ronald Reagan and George W Bush hanging on the walls of their office. More likely Stephan Bandera though.; 3/3/25, 7:45 PM
Eva Marie said...: Speaking of AI . . .
I asked Grok to write some poems for me.
With spellcheck’s help I typed in Marxist Gras instead of Mardi Gras:
Grok gave me this poem:

Marxist Gras, a red parade,
Class and banners on display.
No kings or beads, just equal cheer,
Comrades march, the day is here!

Purple flags for workers’ might,
Green for fields reclaimed by right,
Gold for dreams of shared delight,
A revolution’s festive sight.

No masquerade of wealth to see,
Just chants for solidarity.
Marxist Gras, both bold and free,
A carnival of equity!

I told Grok I wasn’t a commie pinko, could Grok write me a negative poem for Marxist Gras
This is what Grok came up with:

Marxist Gras, a grim charade,
Dreary banners on parade.
No joy or beads, just forced despair,
Comrades trudge through heavy air.

Purple for control’s tight grip,
Green for fields where freedoms slip,
Gold a lie that’s lost its gleam,
A hollow, bleak, oppressive dream.

No revelry, just chains to see,
A mask of false equality.
Marxist Gras, a joyless spree,
A carnival of misery.

I love both poems.
Happy Mardi Gras!; 3/3/25, 7:54 PM
Iman said...: Bluer than blue…; 3/3/25, 7:58 PM
Jamie said...: Gratifyingly, my COVID sourdough starter, named Martha by or youngest (I choose to believe that although he probably doesn't really remember it, he got the name from the gospel story with which I identify so strongly) woke right up over the weekend and I have what should be a really nice loaf in the oven at the moment. A friend whose husband's job moved then to Cairo last summer is staryng with us, and tomorrow is her last evening - she may appreciate some Western bread before she returns home.; 3/3/25, 7:59 PM
Jamie said...: Sorry about the typos; apparently my eyes are done for the evening.; 3/3/25, 8:00 PM
Original Mike said...: What Grok said.; 3/3/25, 8:08 PM
Saint Croix said...: I know we've had italics problems on the blog lately. Hit me today on the hooker thread. I tried typing /i multiple times and it didn't work. How do other people stop the italics nightmare?

(This is a new thing, we didn't see this for the first 20 years on the blog); 3/3/25, 8:22 PM
Jamie said...: (This is a new thing, we didn't see this for the first 20 years on the blog)

My husband, made from sterner stuff than I, goes all over the interwebs, and recently encountered a Bill Maher monologue about, essentially, how everything is crappier now than it used to be. What was the term... "reverse improvement."; 3/3/25, 8:31 PM
Jamie said...: Sourdough update: not as much oven spring as the loaf should have had, and would have, if I'd been more patient. (After 4 nights of Houston Rodeo bbq cook-off, I want to go to bed early!) And I brushed a finger across my 500° cocotte and will now be bothered by that all night. But the loaf is still lovely, deep golden brown, smells like heaven.; 3/3/25, 8:35 PM
Josephbleau said...: LLMs are supposed to just select the next word based on which one has higher probability considering the previous words, with a maximum number of words considered in the n sized phrase “window”selected. This probability is based on all the n sized phrases in the training data set, which is why you need so much processing power to train a model.

But there is also lots of manual stuff added to make it work, it is not just a pure calculation, there are lots of human made rules.

As was quoted in various forms earlier, the wonder is not that the bear dances well, but that he dances at all.; 3/3/25, 8:38 PM
rhhardin said...: Trying to find something tasty to put on left over hot dog buns - best so far is diced Tyson chicken breast and spinach and butter.; 3/3/25, 8:42 PM
Jamie said...: Rhhardin, got any Dijon mustard? I think the tang and brightness might be worth it.

Or if you are willing to wait 15 minutes or so, egg salad? (I like the squishy salad on the squishy bread.); 3/3/25, 8:44 PM
Hassayamper said...: It's amazing to me how many purported lefties on here, based on their comments on the Ukraine war, sound as if they have portraits of Ronald Reagan and George W Bush hanging on the walls of their office.

Woodrow Wilson.; 3/3/25, 8:46 PM
Jamie said...: I'm maybe halfway through the Musk Rogan podcast, at the point where they're talking about the challenges of heat shielding a vehicle that has to exit or re-enter the atmosphere. This is after the discussion of DOGE recommendations and, importantly, their blatant mischaracterization in the media. I look forward to the next topic.; 3/3/25, 8:48 PM
Original Mike said...: "Or if you are willing to wait 15 minutes or so, egg salad?"

Ohh… don't say egg salad on this blog.; 3/3/25, 8:50 PM
Jamie said...: Shoot, did I err? I do apologize! Does it make it any better to go British and say "egg mayonnaise"?; 3/3/25, 8:55 PM
Original Mike said...: The Brits call egg-salad egg-mayonnaise? I did not know that.

I kid. Referencing egg salad is fine. Just don't suggest our hostess eat one.; 3/3/25, 8:58 PM
Original Mike said...: "How do other people stop the italics nightmare?"

" then some text" works for me. IDK if the inclusion of text is necessary, but some have said it is. But then, what works for me may not work for you. I've lost the ability to delete posts. I've tried everything people have suggested here, but to no avail. No trashcan icon. There are so many variables between people's systems, or your own system over time, it's just a crap shoot.; 3/3/25, 9:05 PM
Original Mike said...: Well, that didn't work (and I can't delete it!).

"< / i > then some text", but take out the spaces in < / i >

I have no idea how this is going to be rendered. Here goes nothing…; 3/3/25, 9:08 PM
Jersey Fled said...: “ Trying to find something tasty to put on left over hot dog buns”

Lobster is good.; 3/3/25, 9:08 PM
Aggie said...: What has worked for me, when I see the pacman italics eating up the blog, is to just type in 3 sets of 'close italics', i.e. 'open carat'-'backslash'-'i'-'close carat'. Like the ruby slippers, 3 times in a row seems to be the magic working so far.; 3/3/25, 9:09 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: When people say "make a long story short" is shorthand for lowering expectation. There's too much pressure to blow people away with a story.; 3/3/25, 9:11 PM
Aggie said...: Taibbi and Kirn on tonight are saying this whole kerfuffle smacks of planning and execution. CNN ready to show live-on-TV shock as Trump erupts. Identi-tweets issued moments later from various EU politicians, well-crafted indentical tweets released en-masse. Then immediate meetings with Starmer for Zelensky and pledges of undying support. So...... If all this was coordinated across media and EU government, then why were Macron and Starmer in DC last week, visiting Trump?; 3/3/25, 9:13 PM
Jamie said...: Jersey Fled, did you flee to Maine? Lobster is an EXCELLENT suggestion - with melted butter!

Now I'm hungry again. Dang it.; 3/3/25, 9:17 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/3/25, 9:17 PM
Jamie said...: Vis-a-vis Aggie @9:13pm - what the hell, are we in the Truman Show or something?! I have so had it with all this. I'm power-commenting tonight ahead of my personal Lenten moratorium Wednesday but I'm starting to look forward to it!; 3/3/25, 9:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The key to Italics is the sauce.; 3/3/25, 9:26 PM
Original Mike said...: "Can't delete with firefox. Can delete with Chrome.
Simple"

I can't delete with iPadOS Safari. Others apparently can.
Not simple.; 3/3/25, 9:31 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Egg salad is great if the egg is diced chunky and the goo isn’t runny. Bread and butter chips really doll it up. Crushed red pepper a must.
I don’t know what use hot dog buns are. I eat my dogs nestled in fresh 12-grain bread. The hot dog bun is curiously antiquated. An inferior product from a less discriminating time.; 3/3/25, 9:33 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: If what I've heard is true, that the minerals deal was a Zelenski idea. So, it follows that if he tried to show up/outmaneuver Trump with gamesmanship and grandstanding, it had to come from some influential source, other than Zelenski himself. I mean why would I put at risk the security I'm telling everybody who would listen, I want?

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Arthur Conan Doyle; 3/3/25, 9:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: If you can make an incumbent POTUS (with all the money and the party votes) step aside for a novice politician... the Dems Darkside feels they can do anything at will.; 3/3/25, 9:43 PM
Ralph L said...: This is a new thing, we didn't see this for the first 20 years on the blog)
Previously, Blogger would not allow you to publish the comment with an unresolved html code.; 3/3/25, 9:49 PM
Hassayamper said...: Taibbi and Kirn on tonight are saying this whole kerfuffle smacks of planning and execution. CNN ready to show live-on-TV shock as Trump erupts. Identi-tweets issued moments later from various EU politicians, well-crafted indentical tweets released en-masse.

Orchestrated for sure. The European politicians and their Deep State allies here are really evil, shitty people.

I think it's desperation. I don't think they persuaded many people who weren't already persuaded and wanting to remain so.

The average American is sick to death of pouring out our blood and treasure for foreigners who hate us. I expect Trump's support to increase after this.; 3/3/25, 9:57 PM
Original Mike said...: "Previously, Blogger would not allow you to publish the comment with an unresolved html code."

Yeah, it's hard to imagine removing that check was purposeful, but who knows.

Reverse improvement.; 3/3/25, 9:58 PM
Mason G said...: "The average American is sick to death of pouring out our blood and treasure for foreigners who hate us."

Some of that treasure never makes it out of the country, it ends up in Uniparty pockets. Of course, they hate us, too.; 3/3/25, 10:13 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Reddit: How about some pigeon breast to go on the extra hot dog buns.; 3/3/25, 10:14 PM
Original Mike said...: I've made this observation before. In the nested-reply-format the runaway italic anomaly did not happen; it only appeared in the chronological-format.

And am I corrected that blogger foisted nested-reply on Althouse unbidden? And am I also correct that runaway-italics cropped up at the same time? That was my impression.

So, my hypothesis is that nested-reply is blogger's preferred format and when they messed with the code to force nested-reply this bug came along for the ride.; 3/3/25, 10:20 PM
Gospace said...: I've noticed as of late several liberal retired senior officers are using their rank and service in obviously political posts, a no-no that shouldn't be done, but I'm not certain it's an actual crime. And some are using their rank and service to utter contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense- and others. Which is a clear Violation of UCMJ Article 88. They can say "I'm Mark Kelly and I think President Trump is a poopy head.", but they cannot say "I'm Captain Mark Kelly and I think President Trump is a poopy head." Or have his rank on the letterhead or use his title or anything similar. It's a violation of UCMJ Article 88. All retired personnel know there are some parts of the UCMJ that no longer apply- and other that do. Article 88 is one that applies. I wonder if SECNAV or SECDEF is going to call him on the carpet. Senator Mark Kelly can spout out all the nonsense and contemptuous words he wants. Captain Mark Kelly cannot. His X posts where he identifies as
Captain Mark Kelly
@CaptMarkKelly
and not as
Senator Mark Kelly
are simply dripping with hateful rhetoric towards President Trump and other officials.; 3/3/25, 11:49 PM
Ralph L said...: they messed with the code to force nested-reply this bug came along for the ride.
They deliberately dropped that protection, who knows why? They still won't let the blog owner block specific commenters, which seems like an even more valuable feature to have.

Disregarding the content, the Unz Review has the best commenting system I've come across in 20 years, but parts of it don't always work, and it becomes very slow when people post lots of videos.; 3/3/25, 11:59 PM
Kate said...: Jamie -- may you have a fruitful Lent. As always, I haven't decided how I'll observe Lent. I'm hoping for the brain blast on Ash Wednesday.; 3/4/25, 12:30 AM
Rt41Rebel said...: St Croix, everything I post now, here or anywhere, is prewritten in an iPhone Note. I then copy and paste my comment.; 3/4/25, 12:33 AM
Saint Croix said...: St Croix, everything I post now, here or anywhere, is prewritten in an iPhone Note. I then copy and paste my comment.

I’m trying it now.; 3/4/25, 2:17 AM
wendybar said...: The "so called" party of women actually hate women,.

Riley Gaines

@Riley_Gaines_
·
7h
45 Democratic Senators voted NO on Protecting Women & Girls in Sports.

Never, ever let them gaslight you into thinking Democrats care about 'women's rights'...; 3/4/25, 2:22 AM
Saint Croix said...: I appreciate the suggestion, Rt41Rebel.

I'm a writer and I work on my computer. So I tried it with Microsoft Word on my Mac. When I pasted it here, the italics disappeared. I was like, "ooh, that's not going to work." And it didn't.

That's literally 3 massive tech companies that have to play nice, by the way. Apple (Mac), Microsoft (Word), and Google (Blogger). I'm sure they get along better than 3 countries in the Balkans. They get along like USA, Mexico, and Canada.

Trump causes italics havoc on the Althouse blog, news at 11.; 3/4/25, 2:31 AM
wendybar said...: Chris was one of the Democrats who met with Z before the Trump meeting to advise Z to blow up the meeting. Democrats ARE the enemy.

KanekoaTheGreat
@KanekoaTheGreat
In 2014, Senator Chris Murphy bragged about the United States successfully overthrowing Ukraine's government:

"I think it was our role, including sanctions and threats of sanctions, that forced, in part, Yanukovych from office."

"We have not sat on the sidelines. We have been very much involved. Members of the Senate have been there. Members of the State Department have been on the Square."

"The Obama administration passed sanctions. The Senate was prepared to pass its own set of sanctions, and as I've said, I think that the clear position of the United States has, in part, been what has helped lead to this change in regime."

"If, ultimately, this is a peaceful transition to a new government in Ukraine, it will be the U.S. on the streets of Ukraine who will be seen as a great friend in helping make that transition happen."

"There is a U.S. interest here. We are in the middle of negotiating a new trade agreement with Europe. To my state, it's enormously important. We do 40% of our trade in Connecticut with Europe."

"If Ukraine is part of the EU and thus is part of this new trade agreement with the United States, that could result in billions of dollars in new economic opportunities for the U.S."

"So, we do have an economic interest in Ukraine being a part of the EU, and we shouldn't be shy about making that interest clear."

https://x.com/i/status/1896618136293744884; 3/4/25, 2:31 AM
Saint Croix said...: Another weird thing is that I used to be able to preview my posts, which I always did. And now I can't do that anymore. So I'm publishing blind, so to speak.; 3/4/25, 2:32 AM
wendybar said...: AlinaInMiami 🌺
@alinainmiami
·
8h
It’s bizarre that we need to have a law for the protection of women and girls and even more bizarre is watching Democrats voting against it yet here we are.; 3/4/25, 2:43 AM
Saint Croix said...: Althouse has asked us a couple of times to not use italics. But that's the best way to wall off somebody's comments when you are responding to them.

We had a change under Blogger where your replies to somebody else's post would go under their post. That was nice, I thought, but Althouse didn't like it.

Among other problems, if you looked at a post individually, it wasn't sorted that way, it was time sorted by when it was published. And so it was confusing, who was responding to whom.; 3/4/25, 2:54 AM
gadfly said...: So Zelenskyy was getting small contract help from the Office of Management and Budgets to promote Ukraine and Musk has received monstrous government payments amounting to $38 billion but nary a word about that from Matt Tiabbi - but then Matt took payments direct from Musk to promote the the new right-lean of Xitter.; 3/4/25, 3:07 AM
Original Mike said...: "Another weird thing is that I used to be able to preview my posts, which I always did. And now I can't do that anymore. So I'm publishing blind, so to speak."

The preview function hasn't worked for me for, quite literally, years, so I don't miss it. I could preview the post, but I could not edit the preview. It simply didn't work. So if I detected an error, I had to write the whole post from scratch (again, iPadOS Safari). It's not that big a loss, though. You can always proof read your post before hitting publish.; 3/4/25, 3:21 AM
Original Mike said...: "So I tried it with Microsoft Word on my Mac. When I pasted it here, the italics disappeared. I was like, "ooh, that's not going to work." And it didn't."

Did you use the html code for italics < i > < / i > in the word document?; 3/4/25, 3:27 AM
Original Mike said...: Chris Murphy is a pig.; 3/4/25, 3:29 AM
Original Mike said...: I am understanding more and more "our" complicity in the Ukrainian war. I sure hope Trump can extricate us.; 3/4/25, 3:32 AM