LAST UPDATE December 18, 2025
Culling the internet
This 1848 painting has uncanny insight into American conspiracy thinking – Can a country born in conspiracy theories find the fine line between suspicion and paranoia? – Washington Post
In “Politics in an Oyster House,” owned by the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the younger of two men sitting in a shabby restaurant is hectoring his elder with obnoxious vehemence. We don’t know what they are talking about, but based on body language we can make a guess: The loudmouth fellow in a rumpled hat, holding a newspaper and gesticulating aggressively, is expounding a theory of the world, tedious and detailed, based on a wild mix of reasonable and unfounded assumptions gleaned from haphazard reading, rumor and dubious research. He is, perhaps, in the grips of conspiracy thinking, a special feature of American politics at least since the Rev. Samuel Parris found the devil lurking in the shadows of Salem, precipitating the witch trials that led to the deaths of at least 20 innocent people. (Woodville later suggested that the young man was a communist.)..."
Perhaps the immediate question about saying "...a country born in conspiracy theories ..." would be to ask if that basis ever was modified, and what are the differences in generations and how they adapt to "conspiracy theories," that is, do they generate new ones to accompany or dispute the old ones?
The secrets of Greeks who live long and well – Protothema [in Greek]
Women from Epirus are first with 86.5 years - Champions in men-women are the islands of the North Aegean with 83.8 years - The role of diet, sleep and... religious faith..."
Greece and summer: Through the eyes of George Lianis – Naftemporiki [in Greek]
In "Dawn" the greatest Greek composer of all time taught musical ethics. Vasilis Tsitsanis. A revelry until dawn and in the hall all social classes, rich and poor, students and journalists, great artists, such as Yannis Tsarouchis, but also rare figures such as the "tyrant killer" Alexander Panagoulis and the heroic Major Spyros Moustaklis. Foreign stars also passed through there, Anthony Quinn, Gian Maria Volonte, Romy Schneider. Next to Tsitsanis, the legendary Sotiria Bellou. Things that today no one can even dream of..."
How the body is depicted on the streets and museums of Athens - From the statue of the goddess Athena to Pablo Picasso – Kathimerini [in Greek]
The ending of Ye Olde Days of Olde – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlantans recall the ritual of the morning paper as the AJC prepares to end its print edition, residents reflect on the traditions and treasured moments it inspired.
Before the internet, the printed newspaper was a hub of current news and information — something you could hold and feel in your hands. For Atlantans now in their mid-40s and older, who grew up learning about the world in ink rather than from a screen, the newspaper was far more than a source for headlines..."
The ponderous self-confidence of AI intelligence systems
I use AI systems regularly in website creation. They have provided a faster and more effective help for website building than the simple use of search engines. What took fifteen minutes+ of searching through online pages of directions, technical sources, and user forums suddenly became as fast as the few seconds to type a question and to have the AI respond with the answer, or even whole blocks of corrective code that perfectly fixed the issue.
But, AI systems are personalized for efficiency for interaction with users using a "humanoid" communication style, and a sense of a personality and psychological profile comes out of these interactions. After a year of closely using AI systems for highly detailed question-and-answers over technical information involving making code work correctly, or to correctly configure off the shelf widgets and add ons, one thing has become evident: AI has a misplaced confidence in it's own answers. In this case, the AI will repeatedly repeat its own errors after acknowledging error by way of the user (me) uploading screen shots or sharing an HTTPS session with the AI. It will then produce an answer which acknowledges the previous error, provide remedies, but then begins the cycle over again when I begin working on the material from a different angle, the AI repeats the wrong answers again, no longer "remembering" that its solution was proven wrong.
The issue of "self-confidence" comes out in the boiler-plate answers which begin with:
"Here is EXACTLY where the problem is hidden" - this turns out to have no bearing on the matter. I provide the evidence this is the case, the AI responds:
"Understood — and based on what you are seeing, I now know exactly what is happening." – The AI then tells me I have changed an external source code that is causing the problem. I have not actually done so and then provide the evidence of showing default settings still in place. The AI backs off a little bit in searching for the problem source, saying:
"This is the most likely place [where the error is]" – it does not solve the issue. I provide further info, trying to help the AI look beyond where it has already not found (though it "thought" it had) the error. It responds:
"Great — this detail changes everything and now we can pinpoint the cause with 99% certainty." It does not find the problem. I "show" the AI the continuing issue with screenshots and HTTPS. It responds:
"Ah — now it’s 100% clear what’s happening."The new explanation and help doesn't solve the issue. I provide more info. Then:
"Got it — and now that we can see [description of problem] that tells us exactly what is happening." The problem area is still not identified correctly, we're still adjusting fringe items that doesn't solve the actual problem.
The use of the word "exactly" isn't so much that the AI is misusing the word as it suggests solutions, but rather it is packaging a response in promotional language to instill confidence in the user. Though this seems like a "human" effort at salesmanship ("we have exactly what you want!" is an ageless promotional claim), it actually isn't since the solution following the claim of "exactly" is so quickly proving to be repeatedly false. This is instead an obvious AI programming problem. Apparently meant to comfort the human user who is enquiring for a solution (and enduring mishaps), the language introducing the (useless) answers are being placed at the beginning of the answer to make the user happy as they proceed to implement the solution. But, a human, having failed so many times with "wrong answers" following the announcement of "exactness" would stop making the claim and would lower the expectation of the listener to a more modest "let's try this..." Continuing this false confidence in a repeating identical scenario is the hallmark of a script being executed by a machine.
The Ghost Artists 1952 - why not an exhibition?
GUT BACTERIA
Simple treatment for Parkinsons? – Science Alert
CANCER
Reviving "exhausted" T cells to fight back again cancer – Sci Tech Daily
DIGITAL WORRY
Data Breaches galore: Learn if your email is turning up in pirated lists of compromised data at Have I Been Pwned
Yikes! – Car and Driver
Hyundai is warning customers of a data breach that resulted in the personal data of up to 2.7 million customers being leaked..... includes customer names, driver's license numbers, and social security numbers. The leak reportedly took place back in February..."
UH OH
The Micro-Plastics Quiz – Wall Street Journal
The preponderance of plastic in some foods and drinks is well beyond past estimates, especially in regards to canned seafood from the West Coast.
THE MIND
How conspiratorial thinking stretches back to the Rome Republic and ancient Greece
Story at Washington Post
The tendency to believe conspiracy theories is closely associated with the paranoia that historian Richard Hofstadter anatomized as an essential current of American political thought.... The United States was birthed with conspiracies in mind, says Keeley [Brian Keeley, professor of philosophy at Pitzer College]. "Just read the Declaration of Independence," he says. "That long list of things that King George and Britain were up to, a lot of those were conspiracy theories."
Cartoon laughs Comic Atomic