Coworker asked an #AI engine to write ALT text for a banner advertising a webinar. I'm a speaker for that event, so my photo is in the banner.

Instead of writing the ALT text, the AI engine re-created the banner and made a NEW VERSION OF ME.

Always follow the money:

"One of the top priorities of new #NC House Speaker Destin Hall in 2025 was to add cryptocurrency to the state pension.

"#Crypto billionaires and companies have given massive amounts of money to help elect Republicans, and a few Democrats, up and down the ballot in many states."

https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/nc-pension-crypto-loss-30m-feb-2026/

There isn't a pit of hell deep enough to hold all the moral rot in the US government.

@mlanger

The article gets into the psychology of AI use in business, and I am certain that angle is NOT getting the careful consideration it should.

"For instance, #engineers, in turn, spent more time reviewing, correcting, and guiding #AI-generated or AI-assisted work produced by colleagues. These demands extended beyond formal #code review. Engineers increasingly found themselves coaching colleagues who were 'vibe-coding' and finishing partially complete pull requests."

https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it

There are no easy answers to address the MANY problems in the Tunnel Road area of #Asheville.

As the article mentions, the abandoned/almost abandoned properties along that stretch are NOT making things better. Driving by the Mountaineer Inn, in particular, makes me angry.

https://avlwatchdog.org/opinion-weve-got-to-be-more-dignified-than-this-is-tunnel-road-sliding-into-downright-scuzziness-these-days/

"#Aldi has the lowest costs – and the lowest profit margins – of any #grocery retailer in the U.S. Aldi mainly operates relatively small stores, which means it has lower overhead and sells fewer products than many of its competitors."

(I LOVE Aldi!)

https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/aldi-new-stores-colorado-walmart-costco-food-prices-b2915498.html

RE: https://journa.host/@samlitzinger/116012774560082767

The Washington Post was already dead to me.

Sounds like it's gonna be dead PERIOD soon enough.

A sad day for #journalism ...

#SamRaimi is just gonna go Sam Raimi-ing, and I was totally there for it.

#SendHelp is a dark, goopy, suspenseful, and hilarious blast.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8036976/

@avlcharlie

Fair. They got their hand slapped and corrected course. FOR NOW.

I appreciate that #Mozilla will now give people the chance to turn off #AI features in #Firefox. Some of those features may be helpful to me; others not.

I REALLY dislike (hate?) how some #software providers force AI features onto their users with little regard for what they need—or want.

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/mozilla-firefox-ai-generative-block-user-feedback-browser

"But pushback against killing #EnergyStar came from a broad swath of stakeholders, including industries like real estate and construction, to which President Trump has longstanding ties."

#ClimateChange

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5684126/energy-star-trump-climate-change

"What makes On This Day notable is that it was made by Darren Aronofsky’s studio Primordial Soup. What also makes it interesting is that it was created with #AI. The third thing that makes it interesting is that it is terrible."

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/02/darren-aronofsky-ai-revolutionary-war-series-revie

#history

I saw Secret Mall Apartment in the theater a few months ago, and LOVED it. Now streaming on Netflix.

#movies #documentary

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21221386/

Paid millions to collect other people's work for #AI "training."

Well, AI companies certainly know a thing or two about collecting other people's work, so...

https://mahadk.com/posts/ai-skills-hub

@mlanger

I still can't get past *$150*!

April 1 is weeks away, people. This joke is too early!

#Crocs bets $150 clogs shaped like #Lego bricks will generate buzz - FashionNetwork USA

https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Crocs-bets-150-clogs-shaped-like-lego-bricks-will-generate-buzz,1800512.html

FINALLY saw #Frankenstein, and it's stunning. This is a case where we DID need another telling of a well-known story.

#movies

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1312221/

@avlcharlie

My wallet is getting hammered by chocolate prices. Even at Aldi, the prices are up up up.

"Some of the items with the worst price hikes are repeat offenders: coffee, beef and chocolate. They, too, were affected by tariffs — such as beef and coffee coming from Brazil — but the main culprit was the weather."

#tarriffs #inflation #ClimateChange

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5638908/walmart-prices-inflation-affordability-shrinkflation