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Maybe There Is Such A Thing As A Bad Question 🕵️‍♂️

In season one of True Detective (maybe one of the greatest seasons of television ever produced IMHO) Rust Cohle, played by McConaughey, is getting grilled by the police due to their belief he is involved in a recent murder.

Rust, aware of their suspicions, is so irritated by their endless vague, leading questions and their failure to focus on the deeper connections he finally rebukes them in a hostile whisper, “Start asking the right fucking questions.”

It’s essentially what Stanford researcher Jeremy Utley implores users of AI to start doing (minus the hostile whisper). He asserts most people use ChatGPT like a basic Google search, but that technique limits results. Instead, he suggests that to unlock our creativity and to get the most robust answers from Large Language Learning Models (LLMs), we should start our chat sessions by asking, “What would be the best question I can ask you about [insert your topic here] to get the best response?”

It’s all very meta (no pun intended, I think). This type of querying does feel a little like holding a mirror up to another mirror, but the results may surprise you. Also, a nice please and thank you could go a long way when the singularity arrives. (See a X Post below). -LC

Jurassic Dog Park 🐩

So, it turns out we can now genetically re-engineer extinct species. Last month, Colossal Biosciences announced that they had successfully birthed a litter of three dire wolves. The last time these puppies roamed the Earth was 12,500 years ago. Of course, these same scientists tried to be a bit clever and named the two males Romulus and Remus, and the female Khaleesi (after the Game of Thrones character). Nothing ironic nor foreshadowing in that decision.

Seriously… sometimes a story comes out and reminds me of the ignorance, arrogance, and sheer masochistic nature of humanity. We’re like teenagers pushing our parents to the edge, trying to understand where the line is. “Yeah, they didn’t punish me when I burned down the garage. That was pretty bad. I wonder what I really have to do to piss them off.” Like that, but at a species level. What will God do if we do this? Do you think He’ll call it quits then? But don’t worry-at this point, it doesn’t matter. If we extinct ourselves, the AI robots that are left can play with our genes and bring us back in some form.

Ha! We win!

Wait, I’m not done…

Don’t kid yourself-our ability to accomplish this mind-bending achievement is directly tied to leaps in GPUs and AI. Our ability to capture and process data (like genetic sequences) caught up to our ability to ask “what if.” And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Strap in. When quantum computing gets its legs… you get the point.

OK, now I’m done. -EB

Atari 2600 Trivia 🕹️

Pretty Please, With Sugar on Top 🍭🤖

Say please and thank you to make AI give you better results? Maybe creator Helen Christie (@helen_christie) was on to something!

Skelley’s Snippets ✂️

👂 Over 1 billion people aged 12 to 34 face the risk of early hearing loss due to high decibel levels from personal listening devices and noisy entertainment venues. Since sticking orange marshmallows in your ears isn’t exactly fashion-forward, companies like Loop and Vibes craft stylish, high-quality earplugs that keep you looking sharp while protecting your hearing.

[Editor’s Note: I asked Grok AI to write a witty sentence to end this paragraph. It made me chuckle. Good advice!]

“Protect your ears now, because "what?" isn't a personality trait.” -Grok

⚔️ Bethesda just released a remastered version of their 2006 fantasy adventure Oblivion with improved graphics and gameplay. They just beat the release of Skyblivion, a fan-made project that blends Bethesda’s Oblivion sequel, Skyrim, with Oblivion. Now, can someone please remaster Sword of Fargoal? Wait, they did!

💿 A growing movement is championing DVDs and Blu-rays, driven by fans seeking control over their media. High audio-visual quality, special features, and no subscription fees are driving this wave. Enthusiasts predict a vinyl-like revival for DVDs and Blu-rays, celebrating their role as tangible, high-fidelity alternatives in the era of streaming. A quick check on Walmart’s website lists their ONN Blu-ray player (with HDMI cable!) for $58. Pick one up and watch your 🚢Titanic DVD for the 1000th time. Maybe Rose will finally scoot over and give Leo, I mean Jack, a little room on that giant frickin’ door!

Laugh Lines 🤣

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DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this newsletter is financial advice or any other kind of advice for that matter. This is strictly for entertainment and fodder for occasional thoughtful reflection. The owners of The Skelley may benefit financially when readers click on links in the publication.