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SO, trying to use up my free AI allowance (daily) and I've an opportunity to hang some of my "Artwork" in a local pot shop, only a few things; namely that I'm a little bit (a lot) behind in my art-output, and I want to produce something saleable in the venue provided. Hence the prompt, looking for a little inspiration in that direction.
Could you create me, in the classical manner, a still life that reflects upon the life of a stoner? For example, pot plant, joint, other pot-based parapanelia? I'm in Canada, so any concerns you might have can be disregarded as Cannabis is legal here.
The results?
Pretty fucking brilliant, actually..."Leaves of Grass...". Now, should I bother even trying to paint this, or just have it printed on Canvas at Wal-Mart and claim it as my own? After all, I did come up with the prompt...
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SO, the rhythm, every day unbox yet another trove of books, take photos, inventory, then take them to the bookstore.
I've got one helluva credit.
This day, however, having exchanged my books I discover that my pictures somehow failed me, and a book went to the bookstore without my inventorying it.
This upsets me. I want to know what I've read, where I've been in this life.
This is the photo I have of the book:
That's it. And, racking my brain, for the life of me I can't remember what it was.
It distresses me more than it should.
I conceive the idea that I can upload it to ChatGPT and maybe it can from this fragment of the spine inform me as to what it was.
It fails. Badly. "Show me the other books" it say, the other books, all fine, but not organized in a manner that would give clues as to this one.
I've despaired, am out of options, trying to search for Roman authors with the last name ending in "...ries", having no luck, then Google AI steps up, offers it's AI analysis, and I try again.
Bingo. It comes up "Metamorphosis" by Ovid, edited/translated by Humphries, and - sure enough, that was the book. From this image.
This is no argument for sentience, but AI - should it survive - is one hell of a tool, and my peace of mind is once again restored...
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Now, tracking Alberta as I track the US, with a great deal of suspicion and misgivings, the "It's the government not the people" argument fails when you realize these people elect the same governance again and again...
The separatist movement, funded largely by American Psy Ops, hang them, hang them all. Same with the White Supremacists, the Bible Belters, it's time now for a proper purge. But as it's basically the US at this point, paid for and funded by the US, and as Danielle Smith is as more a US operative than an Albertan Politician I pay it the same amount of attention.
Danielle Smith, the entire UCP party, they'd all look a lot better hanging from gibbets or displayed upon pikes in front of the Legislature.
They are the perfect example of what happens when you remove consequences from actions.
Think of a small child. It "steals" a cookie and goes uncorrected. "That's fine" you tell yourself, and the child learns that cookie theft is OK. Child kicks the dog. "That's Fine" you say. It punches a classmate in the face at school and causes a bloody nose. "That's fine" you say "Kid probably deserved it.". This continues, action, antisocial and without consequence. Hey, wait a minute, your child is the victim here...
It continues, your child becomes an adult, steals, rapes, cheats, becomes President or Premier, cheats, steals, rapes and murders more and "that's fine" you say, because you've said it so fucking often and this is how we end up where we are today and I really, really want to take your child, you're Premier, your President, your administration, out into the woods and administer some long overdue corrections....
Anyways, all this an overlong preamble to a fine video by "The Goose" on Alberta's $320 Billion Dollar Oil Debt, which should exemplify to you how "Wealth", in the sense of Oil Companies, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, etc, is nothing more than a form of corporate welfare where consumers are expected to subsidize a fattening billionaire class for no more reason than their disregard for the same rules all the rest of us are held accountable to.
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37qKJLuOcKY
I like how the farmer points out that we have laws and rules for all of this fucking-around, only - for some people, and especially under the "current administration" - they're not enforced.
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This was a Balfour beach find, I thought with all the rain to find something, only to find that the lake is so high there's very little beach to be explored. Nonetheless I found this, which while showing clear signs of work and shaping and wear does not inform me as to it's purpose. Perhaps a hide scraper?
Anyways, very out of place and matched none of the other rocks in shape or material. I'll add it to the box of artifacts...
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And the weekend, finally, Saturday and Sunday off and I've access to a vehicle.
First things first. A few adventures on unexplored FSR's, to places thus far unseen. "Prospecting". Some great views, but - as far as the FSR Roadside prospecting goes no great discoveries.
The best, this, the waterfall:
I hadn't consulted the claims maps so this, tempting as it is, I'll have to let it go.
Then on to another spot, where I had a fine pegmatite underway, some smoky quartz, black tourmaline, mica of good crystal shape and habit.
This road, I'd been up, what? 3 years ago? Before the car troubles. Bloody hell. Anyways, this road, halfway up it's been deactivated. I mean - seriously.
And deactivation takes no time up here at all.
I make it to the destination, but I'm going to have to stop this, before I become a "Marty Supreme", before I ruin a friendship with another lost vehicle in the bush....
The pegmatite, I explore, break rocks, a few more tiny aquamarine crystals, some gemmy garnets, a few I don't recognize. Like the glistening red crystals, which could be garnet but the shape and lustre seem off...
I get my USB microscope out and examine at the library (because my MacBook Air does not recognize it). Still uncertain, and annoyed that the USB microscope doesn't allow levels of Zoom.
Images below:
It only strikes me that it has an unusual lustre and doesn't by crystal habit appear to be garnet or anything else I'm familiar with.
The aquamarines, max 1 cm, they aren't worth the photographing.
***
Sunday, to pan for gold, on the creeks feeding Sheep Creek behind Salmo.
First, visit the mine:
It has, of course, seen better days. From here off to dip a pan in a few of the tributaries, attempt a few more FSR, most of which have been deactivated. The exposures of rock, basalts, heavily metamorphosed granites, quartzites, quartz, all bedded together, turned black, yellow, orange & red with minerals, bedded at 90 degree angles, this is the stuff they were mining, this is where the gold is...
All roads up this mountain are overgrown again, there is no way to the top save abandoning the vehicle and going on a 12 KM bushwack.
Find a few other FSR heading south, explore them, more of the same rock, this rock, intriguing, holds promise but I would need to check the claims, the hard-rock ones, the ore needs be dug and crushed but you can see the glistening pyrites, the dark veins of galena, silver...
Ore carts, still suspended...
An unknown grave high up the mountainside. A child? Recent? and if so, what with the pick-axe?
And so it concludes the day...great ground, but need a means to access. And the gold, well, the creeks being largely claimed means it's inaccessible, so review the MTO and see if any of the hard-rock options are open (I doubt); there is still treasure to be found but whether it will reward the work...