Have started to use some basic homebrew apps thanks to this fun and informative video from Snazzy Labs!
Stanislaw Lem, in 1971, with a wonderfully prescient description of LLMs in the story Non Serviam, from the book A Perfect Vacuum.
“It mimics the behavior of a man on the purely linguistic plane and nothing more. Nothing will amuse such a machine, or surprise it, or confuse it, or alarm it, or distress it, because it is psychologically and individually No One. It is a Voice giving utterance to matters, supplying answers to questions; it is a Logic capable of defeating the best chess player; it is—or, rather, it can become—a consummate imitator of everything, an actor, if you will, brought to the pinnacle of perfection, performing any programmed role—but an actor and an imitator that is, within, completely empty. One cannot count on its sympathy, or on its antipathy. It works toward no self-set goal; to a degree eternally beyond the conception of any man it “doesn’t care,” for as a person it simply does not exist. … It is a wondrously efficient combinatorial mechanism, nothing more.”
I gathered some of my shorter novels. They’re all under 120 pages. It’s good to have a selection of slim novels handy. When you’re tired or feeling indecisive it’s easier to pick up a shorter book than a longer one.
In the pile are two by Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom, two from Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal and my current read: Cole Enough For Snow by Jessica Au.
Suzume, 2022 - ★★★
I thought it was ok. Too long with some sections dragging on but not in an interesting way. I don’t like the look of a lot of modern anime like this, it’s too shiny and over-saturated. Reminds me of gaudy, over-processed HDR photos. I also find the tone and performances pitched one or two notches too high for my taste. Vastly prefer Ghibli’s more understated visual and performance style.
That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love;
It is enough, the freight should be
Proportioned to the groove.
– Emily Dickinson, 1765
Two more to add to my ever growing library.
I’ve seen the movie adaptation of Closely Watched Trains, though my memory of it is sketchy. This may be the perfect time to read the book and then perhaps a rewatch of the movie.
I recently listened to an interview with Max Lawton the translator of Telluria (and many other books by Sorokin). The interview talked mainly about Blue Lard which sounds interesting but quite intense. Telluria should be a gentler introduction to Sorokin’s work.