And here we go!!!

Posted on by September 20, 2023

This is going to be interesting to watch!

A collection of bestselling authors, including Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and legal drama writer John Grisham, has sued ChatGPT developer OpenAI for using their writing to train the artificial intelligence without paying.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday by the writer’s advocacy group known as the Authors Guild, claims that the chatbot uses the works of famous authors to train its answers without providing sufficient compensation for the creators. It’s the latest action by creators worldwide to ensure proper compensation as more and more people adopt generative tools like ChatGPT.

Full article, HERE from the Washington Examiner!

When you add these to the suits against the ‘art’ AI people, they whole AI thing ‘could’ collapse if they win in court, because of the massive copyright violations on these systems to ‘train’ the AIs.

I’ma need more popcorn…

 

Huh, that’s…odd…

Posted on by September 19, 2023

Looks like Ray Epps is ‘finally’ getting charged…

Ray Epps was charged with one misdemeanor count of “Disorderly or Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1752(a)(2)” according to a charging document filed on Monday and made public on Tuesday. 

Signed by United States Attorney Matthew Graves, the charging document is brief in its explanation.

Full article, HERE from Townhall.

I can’t help but wonder if the left is finally throwing him under the bus, now that his usefulness is done…

We’ve got weather moving in, so I’m going to quit here and shut the computer down. Y’all go read the folks on the sidebar, and I’ll hopefully be able to comment this morning.

Here we go…

Posted on by September 18, 2023

Again…

The LAST time a budget was actually passed on time was…wait for it…

1996!

House Republicans will try again this week to advance their funding outline for the Defense Department in fiscal 2024, just a few days after far-right lawmakers derailed leadership’s plans to move ahead on the budget measure.

The chamber was set to vote on the $826 billion plan last week, but Republican leaders shelved the legislation after members of the GOP’s right-of-right Freedom Caucus indicated they would not support the bill without promises of additional cuts to non-defense spending. That left the appropriations measure without enough backing to pass, since Democrats have already raised objections to the Republicans’ proposed limits on abortion access for troops and other social issues in the measure.

Full article, HERE from the Federal Times.

This is going to end up with another CR, and dire warnings about delayed, cancelled military pay, retiree pay, Social Security, etc. but you NEVER hear about any possible delays to entitlements…

Gah! It’s LONG past time for term limits, because Congress is nothing more than an old folks home now, with idiots up there who cannot function but are being told how to vote by the unelected bureaucrats that hide behind the scenes!

And now the Senate is ‘modifying’ their dress code, HERE, to cater to Fetterman, so he can come on the Senate floor in shorts, a hoodie, and showershoes!

Really??? The supposedly ‘most august’ body can now come to work dressed however they want? Pajamas? Curlers in their hair? Will they try to top Wallyworld???

 

Back in battery…

Posted on by September 17, 2023

Home from P-Con, fun was had, saw a lot of friends, hopefully made a few, and did a bunch of panels.

Bravo Zulu to the organizers for putting on a nice little con for the first time!

Made the obligatory visit to the Krasnovian Embassy too!

My only complaint is one that I make after every con… Too little time to actually sit and chat with folks! Dang it! As usual, I’m brain fried from actually having to ‘think’ from two days… LOL

Thanks to those that bought copies of my books, and hopefully they will leave a review or two!!!

Chiraq…

Posted on by September 16, 2023

Is only getting worse…

When Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) ran for office, he was propelled to victory by a growing socialist movement allied with the Democratic Party.  The Socialist movement has elected a record number of socialists in Congress. However, Johnson now has one of the largest American cities to implement such policies with the support of the far left teacher’s union. Years ago, I wrote how a delegation of the union went to Venezuela and heaped praise on the murderous regime’s “progress.” Now Johnson appears to be moving toward a pilot program with great significance for socialist supporters: state-run grocery stores.

Full article HERE!

This isn’t going to end well, but ‘we’ know that. Of course they ARE getting what they voted for!

Sigh…

On the road again…

Posted on by September 13, 2023

Down in DFW for P-Con, my last con of the year, link HERE.

We’ll be at the The Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport

4545 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, Texas

My schedule!

Friday
Reading 3:00 PM Pecan
No Shit, There I Was 10:00 PM Main Events Stories from military, law enforcement and EMT’s. Adults Only
Saturday
Cross-Discipline Collaboration 11:00 AM Post Oak Why Having Friends in Multiple Fields Can Make Your Writing Better
The Other 98% of the Military 12:00 PM Post Oak Support, Logistics and Engineering. How do they work and how can they show up in fiction?
Future Weapons 3:00 PM Post Oak A discussion on what weapons will look like in the future.
Cussing in Sci Fi and Fantasy 5:00 PM Post Oak What makes a good curse word and which are our favorites? What’s the purpose of cussing?
Sunday
Why do I Write? Pt 2 10:00 AM Post Oak Panelists get together to talk about what got them started and why they keep going.
My Favorite Monster 12:00 PM Post Oak Panelists discuss their favorite monsters
SF Inspiration 2:00 PM Trinity III How has Science Fiction inspired your work?

 

If you’re in the area, drop by and say hi!

Getting old sucks…

Posted on by September 13, 2023

Lost another friend day before yesterday…

Granted, that is the price we pay for getting old, and a lot of us got rode hard and put up wet while we were on active duty. Not all of us made it to retirement, and we always remembered those who left us early.

But lately, it seems like we’re losing one a week or so…

Thinking back, I met Jonesy 45 years ago when I was an instructor in VP-30 and he was one of the ‘new kids’ going through the FRS. Inquisitive, hard worker, and always laughing.

After Hunt for Red October came out, we joked that we had the ‘real’ Jonesy! And it wasn’t a joke. I know some sonar techs that learned a few things from him.

He was truly one of the best analysts that I worked with over the years, multiposition qualified, and always willing to take a det, or sit down with the ‘kids’ to teach them how to do ASW.

After he retired, he continued working for the Navy, continuing teaching the ‘kids’ in trainers and as an SME for both Hawaii and Whidbey Island.

He was quite the professional, told great sea stories, had a witty and dry sense of humor, and was a friend. I saw him in Hawaii for the last time in 2016, took him to lunch, and had a great time reminiscing about people and places. His body had ‘eaten’ his lungs a few years earlier, and he’d gotten two new ones via transplant, but was starting to have some issues with the transplants. Apparently, that was what took him day before yesterday. Prayers for his wife, and the kids.

Rest in peace my friend, your ‘kids’ have the watch…

Another one bites the dust…

Posted on by September 12, 2023

In Portland…

And this one is a biggie!

Nike is based in Beaverton, Oregon, which is a substantial inner-ring suburb of Portland. It is the fourth-largest employer in the area and only one out of two large employers that is not a health care system.

So it was a big deal when the corporation temporarily closed its flagship store due to safety concerns. It was a huge symbolic hit to the reputation of the city and an economic hit to the neighborhood in which it was based.

And now it’s permanently closed! HERE.

Get woke, go broke… Or in Portland’s case, kowtow to the left and go broke…

Along with Seattle, SFO, Chiraq, Bal’more, DC, and Philly. And NYC is catching up due to their ‘sanctuary city’ BS, now that they are having to actually DO some support…

LA is pretty much a lost cause, between the CA gov’t initiatives, city policies, and being overrun with homeless/illegals.

I’m SO glad I’m in Tiny Town, Texas, west of the Mississippi, and well away from both coasts and the idjits in charge out there.

Oh, and on a positive note, my new eyeball is ‘looking good’ according to the eye doc that poked and prodded it and shined bright lights in it yesterday… WHY does that #@%#%# light have to be SO bright???

Woo hoo!!!

Posted on by September 11, 2023

I can haz new coffee!!!

Chicory blend from King Harv!

King Harv’s has been a ‘sponsor’ of my YouTube channel at OldNFO for a couple of years now. They ship us coffee on occasion and we are VERY thankful for that!

They actually produced a ‘Blanket Fort Blend’ for us as a joke, but enough people that listened to the YT broadcast ordered it and they now offer it to all their customers.

They are good folks, and yes, a tad expensive, but every bit of coffee we’ve received from them has been quality!

FCC notice- I paid for this coffee with my own money, for my own enjoyment!

Cataract update- Eye is doing well, and I’m headed up to OKC VA this morning for progress check!

Never forget!!!

Posted on by September 11, 2023

9/11/2001

Military service members salute as fire and rescue workers unfurl a huge American flag over the side of the damaged Pentagon, Sept. 12, 2001, during rescue and recovery efforts following the previous day’s terrorist attack. At about 9:40 a.m. local time, a hijacked commercial airliner, originating from Washington’s Dulles airport, was flown into the Pentagon’s western side. In his weekly address to the nation issued Sept. 10, 2016, President Barack Obama recalled the 9/11 attacks that struck the United States 15 years ago. He urged all Americans to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks that targeted the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and another airliner that crashed into a Pennsylvania field. He also called on citizens to salute the efforts of the firemen, police and other first responders who risked their lives to help others in need that dark day, as well as the U.S. service members, diplomats, and the intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement professionals “who serve, and have given their lives, to help keep us safe.” Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael W. Pendergrass

Pentagon NCC…

Larry Getzfred

Jack Punches

AW1 Joe Pycior

Never forgive…

Edit- HERE is the original audio from Fire One in Manhattan that morning.