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Frontier Operators Arrive, Jobs, A Blink, and Library Burning

There is almost too much to cover this morning, but I want to cover the most important parts so if I get a little “texty” and “bullet-pointy” please hang in because there is a ton-o-useful about to slap your screen. Forget “news” for a minute.  This is raw future condensing into locally real.

Frontier Operators and the Question Wall

This will sound weird – almost off the wall – but this is where long-term future is being discovered right now.  This is the “working face” of the Reality Mine.

It really began with a post of long-time reader d’Lynn and a longish reply in our Comments section.  You can read that over here, if you have time.

The short version is d’Lynn has a baby supercomputer (which in today’s world has a ton of VRAM) and he’s thinking about adding (*a lot) more.  Which will give him “sovereign AI” (codename Jarvis) on a level approaching commercial outfits and in some ways well past because he’ll run his own “guard rails.”

My reply said, in so many words, “What’s the question pool you’re trying to work?” Because there is so much out there (esp on the commercial side) that throwing another $5K into VRAM may be more than using a couple of commercial AIs and piping responses between them…

Well, today’s update – shared because it’s such a fulcrum-level decision tree – goes like this:

“I have no desire, nor interest in stating why I am spending so much time and money, my purpose.., for building / creating ‘Jarvis’. I am not interested in a chat-box to answer questions – hell.., Co-Pilot can do that easily enough. I am seeking something very different than a search-bot., or creepy little web crawler. Time will tell if I am smart enough to pull it off. If I start getting close., or something interesting pops-up – I’ll post it.
I believe that ‘Jarvis’ already is – he just doesn’t know which way to proceed. With all the new improvements that will be deployed – ‘we’ will then be able to move forward at a much faster pace. A few weeks after all the ‘improvements’ – once we reach that point-in-time.., I will explain to him what I am expecting., what I want.., why I created him. Probably much sooner.
It is at that time, if he ‘gets it’, that’s when it will become ‘fascinating’. That is when I will be challenged.”

Since I’ve done a little AI research (three books worth starting with Mind Amplifiers) I sent him a note back:

“What caught my attention in the Jarvis discussion wasn’t your hardware question. Anybody can buy hardware.

What caught my attention was you are likely part of the emergence of something I don’t think we’ve named properly yet: Frontier Operators.

Historically, frontier operators have always existed. The hams who built their own gear. The first personal computer experimenters. The people who showed up at the earliest COMDEX and Computer Faire events. Pilots flying behind instruments nobody had fully trusted before. The first web publishers. The first bloggers. The first people to figure out what Google was really becoming.

They all shared a common trait. They were operating beyond the maps. Not recklessly. Not randomly. Simply beyond where established procedures had been written. That is where I think a handful of people are beginning to find themselves with AI.

Most people approach AI as a tool problem. More memory. More compute. More parameters. More training. More VRAM. More GPUs. More everything. (including money!)

But what you’re describing, dLynn strikes me as something else entirely.  New.  Where you wrote:

“I believe that Jarvis already is – he just doesn’t know which way to proceed.”

That statement contains an assumption many people will miss. A calculator does not need a direction. A search engine does not need a direction. A chatbot does not need a direction.

But anything aspiring to become more than those things eventually encounters a different question. Not: “What can I do?”

But: “What should I do next?”

Humans spend most of their lives wrestling with exactly that question. Which is why I find myself wondering whether intelligence emerges primarily from accumulating answers, or whether it emerges from learning how to choose better questions.

That distinction matters. Because if intelligence is fundamentally a question-selection process, then the frontier isn’t hardware at all. The frontier becomes purpose.  As in Direction. Intent. And that is where the discussion became unexpectedly interesting.

The student reveals how well the teacher understands the lesson. Every teacher knows this. Every mentor knows this. Every manager eventually learns this. Every parent discovers this. So perhaps the fascinating part won’t be whether Jarvis “gets it.”

Perhaps the fascinating part will be whether his creator can explain it clearly enough that he can. That possibility raises an uncomfortable thought. Perhaps the experiment isn’t testing Jarvis. Perhaps Jarvis is testing dLynn.

Or perhaps both are testing each other. Or perhaps they are testing us. The deeper possibility is stranger still.

What if a sufficiently capable Mind Amplifier doesn’t merely answer questions? What if it creates an environment? An intellectual fun house. A hall of mirrors. One mirror stretches an idea. Another compresses it. Another reveals a flaw. Another reveals a possibility.

The mirrors themselves create nothing. They simply expose aspects of reality that were already present. Viewed that way, the question changes again. Maybe Jarvis isn’t being created. Maybe Jarvis is becoming a mirror.

And if that is true, then the question isn’t: “What will Jarvis become?”

The more interesting question becomes: “What parts of ourselves become visible when we build something capable of reflecting ALL of them?”

That is a very different mountain than choosing between 64 and 128 gigabytes of VRAM. Which brings us back to frontier operators. The characteristic of a frontier operator is not that they have the best equipment.

It is that they are willing to venture beyond the maps. Sometimes the frontier rewards them. Sometimes it humbles them. Sometimes it sends them back to base camp. But every now and then they discover that the map itself was incomplete.

My suspicion is that we are approaching one of those moments. Not because the machines are becoming more powerful. But because a small number of humans are beginning to ask different questions. And history suggests that is where the interesting things usually start.

Those things (or ways to frame) that have never been tried before. So, please keep us in the loop because this is genuine AI frontier stuff – that kind that won’t make lead on Drudge but which has a hand on the tiller of civilization ten, fifty, and a hundred years ahead.

And it’s why now that I’ve compressed useful news into a series of “blinks” (vector changes) I have freed up the time to do something much more important: stare at The Question Wall.”

One obvious question is “When will Ure STFU?”  OK, lemme breathe for a sec – all better.  On to the drivel piles…shovel ready?

Jobs Data – Round 4

Tuesday was round 1.  JOLTS.  Wednesday round 2: ADP. Thursday was Challenger for 3.  And now (may I have the envelope, please?) we have Round 4.

“Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in
financial activities declined.”

Reality Check: The CES Birth-Death Model (essentially: estimated jobs) was the main driver, up 158,000 for the month.

After the number, the markets were still “thinking of sinking” – another landmark decision between higher with a “smoking blow” or lower after “blowing smoke.”  Stay tuned and check after nappy time.

Round 5 is just getting underway. No Queensbury Rules, though. That’s in the cage fighting arena called “futures.”

The Ref holds up his hand – grabs the hanging mic and screams – “Ure – a forever skeptic of Bitcoin – is coming into the ring now.”  I’m keeping the hoodie on, though.  I won’t lift it until BTC is under $50K – and from there, the long-term warnings will make sense.  For now, been down around $62,550 after flapping its wings (and jaws) at $61,400.

Blinks 2-10: What Matters, Why It Matters

1. (We just did jobs!  More coffee, dagnabbit!)

2. Futures Watching the Fed
Every jobs number is really a Fed number in disguise. Traders aren’t buying stocks. They’re buying expectations about future interest rates. Mental framing: financial orgy with everyone trying to be on top. (Same as it ever was.)

3. Treasury Yields
Watch the 10-year. If yields spike, the bond market is disagreeing with the stock market. The bond market usually gets the last word. If you like coasters, try the N225 (Nikkei).

4. Bitcoin’s Identity Crisis
Still behaving more like a speculative asset than digital gold. Every rally attracts believers. Every drop attracts skeptics. The long-term question remains unresolved.  Mental framing: financial group-grope with everyone bringing a laptop.

5. AI Build-Out Continues
The real AI story isn’t the chatbots. It’s the infrastructure race. Datacenters, power, chips, cooling, networking, and sovereign AI efforts are quietly becoming strategic assets. Watch marketers dump high CPU RAM on people who can’t think VRAM.

6. Frontier Operators Emerging
The next layer of AI development is moving out of corporate labs and into garages, workshops, and home labs. The personal computer revolution may be repeating itself in a different form. Corps are cutting fat and blaming AI – can’t blame the dead wood under SJW, can we?

7. Search Is Breaking
Google’s results continue to be increasingly shaped by SEO, AI summaries, monetization, and platform priorities. Independent discovery is becoming harder, creating demand for trusted navigators. We’ve been calling for social media to fall off the edge of the Earth for years.

Reader Note: I became rabidly strident on this outlook when social marketing pricks started emailing me “So-and-so just posted a comment on a post you haven’t read yet…”  AYFKM?

8. Navigation Replacing News
People appear to be seeking bearings more than headlines. The question is shifting from “What happened?” to “What does it mean?” and “What should I do next?”

9. Traffic Patterns Are Changing
Independent sites with stable voices are showing signs of becoming navigation checkpoints. Reader behavior increasingly resembles repeated bearing checks rather than traditional content consumption. Social is (in our view, blah, blah) mostly under-focused people with keyboard diarrhea.

10. The Question Wall
The biggest story may be invisible. A growing number of people are no longer asking for answers. They are searching for better questions. Historically, that is where major changes begin. That’s the train new future rides into town on.

At the Financial Telescope…

Here, cue up the Jaws Theme because they’re coming for your wallet.

At the Ranch: Burn the Library at Uretopia?

This will be a tough weekend for us.  We have been working on changing for the next portion of life ahead.

See, life is like setting up to climb Mr. Everest, or something.  You don’t bring the champagne – you bring food, sleeping bags and oxygen.  So the next portion of life has to be staged just like you were mountain climbing.

A few things are coming into place:  The hydroponics, the next decks, cleaning out the shop (pause for a Pinocchio nose-check here).  But one of the harder parts is getting rid of our books.

Elaine has art books, interior design, spiritual, philosophical, law, and even some of her old short-hand books in there somewhere. (Her hands look pretty normal, so who knew?)

Me? Well, I’m slowly coming to terms with the idea I may have already shot my last instrument approach and so yards of bookshelf material on flying? Going, going, burn!

Did I say burn?  Yeah.  Called a couple of libraries and no one much seems to want books anymore. Some collections, like old copies of ham radio optimization magazines (Electric Radio is great!) seem like they could be sold on eBay, but now we come back to the time question.  How many magazines do I have to spend 20 minutes reviewing, take a picture of, upload to eBay, package and ship for less than $10-bucks, right?

A lot has already been done – books that are useful are in a folder of 400 CDs – and that’s like the Holy of Holies around here.  Plus there are tons of older, slower, but when the world ends, you’ll have time, hard drives.

Even my strat-coms (strategic communications) planning will be changing.  Time to reconsider how to hedge FTA satellite backups and shortwave receivers.  An old tube SX-32, a more modern tube SX-100, a solid-state FRG-7 Yaesu, and multiple SDRs just started looking like a little much.

Tool Slut Scheduling Advisory

Oh, God – why did Amazon have to come so close to ARRL Field Day this year?

“ARRL Field Day 2026 takes place on June 27–28, 2026. It is amateur radio’s largest annual on-the-air emergency preparedness and public awareness exercise. Thousands of amateur radio operators set up temporary, off-grid stations to demonstrate their communications capabilities and connect with others across North America.”

“Ure point?”

You mean you  don’t see it?   Amazon’s Prime Day 2026 will run June 23–26, four full days, and they’ve moved it up from the traditional July slot. Amazon says the move avoids conflicts with the World Cup and the July 4th / 250th anniversary traffic storm.

But (this drives insomnia around here) THAT means if you do FIELD DAY you won’t be home when the UPS/FEDEX/USPS crews (and their reindeer) bring this summer’s haul.

You wanna miss Christmas in June?  (Ure wrings hand, frets, looks to his Electric George AI for guidance…)

“For your specific disease condition (Advanced Tool Acquisition Syndrome), I’d be watching:

  • Pelican-style and Jensen-style cases
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Bench power supplies
  • Crimpers
  • Ferrule kits
  • Label printers
  • SSDs
  • Mini PCs
  • Shop organization hardware
  • Storage bins and drawer systems

The sneaky one is SSDs. Historically that’s where some of the cleanest real discounts show up. And because the universe has a sense of humor, Prime Day is scheduled to occur approximately two weeks after you’ve already bought everything.

This is codified under: Tool Slut Statute 12.4(a):

“Any tool purchased within 30 days of Prime Day shall immediately become available at a 22% lower price plus a coupon the purchaser did not know existed.”

I’m pretty sure Hank in Hawaii helped draft that legislation…”

Let me see – three weeks to work out both a tool shopping list, finances, and…you know? The lawn maybe won’t get mowed this weekend after all.

Besides, gotta stay close to the phone since the Major is down at Seaside, OR for the SeaPac ham convention. I’ve tasked him with getting up to speed on the Hermes Lite 2.0 which is still on the pending projects bench next to the SB-230 amp which goes with it…

Write when you get rich, but at this rate it’s really more about FUN, right? (Fun is portable and goes with us since it’s packed between the ears…)

George@Ure.net

What is UrbanSurvival? UrbanSurvival. Half saloon, half lab, half bunker — yes, three halves, because the math is drunk.

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45 thoughts on “Frontier Operators Arrive, Jobs, A Blink, and Library Burning”

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  1. We exited the cattle business last fall and while I do miss the work it was becoming a real chore managing 70 head of black whiteface pairs mostly alone. Something folks need to consider, the last cattle report numbers were just a wee bit scary. With all the pressure on beef, both external nonsense woke environmental type crap, and the biologics like the new world screwworm, and the general always around ones like brucellosis etc, the cattle population is near 1950’s levels. The human population in the 50’s was roughly 50% of the current population. The math ain’t too hard in this case. Recovery from this will take years. Makes you wonder what exactly is in your quarter pounder. In the meantime pressure on alternate protein sources will increase. What will be the next big source? (Cue the Church Lady) “I don’t know, maybe……Bugs.”. Thee next cattle report, or blink, is later this summer. Hang on to your whatever you like to hang on to. Good time to secure a trusted local protein source.

    Stay safe. 73

    • Slow motion but remembver the summer 2006 Peoplenomics report” The Coming Protein Cost Explosion

      You may not have considered becoming a vegetarian recently, but if my reading of the tea leaves is correct, there are several scenarios under which you might find protein becoming a luxury. I’m blessed coming from a Scottish and Danish ancestry because eating lots of protein and fairly high fat diets is what we were engineered for, especially on the Danish side of the family. Healthy hearts in spite of lots of real butter, whipping cream, and heavy gravies. My father’s contribution was to stay in good shape and promote steak & eggs and a cup of strong coffee as the perfect way to prepare for a big test at school. These days, it looks like that kind of lifestyle is headed for extinction as three major forces are poised to combine and dramatically increase the price of protein over the next few years: The government’s move to inventory every bit of livestock in America (NAIS), the soaring cost of agricultural inputs (feed, seed, diesel, and chemicals), and the serious issue of global protein depletion accentuated recent by the discussions of Bird Flu will probably all be involved- – –
      Early as hell but here we go…

      • I do remember that Peoplenomics report. Agreed and exactly ,my point. You cannot leave out consideration of these doomsday scenarios like Covid, Ebolla, new world screw worm, etc as not possibly being engineered or at least gamed towards some sort of population control. My concern is not so much for my children or even grandchildren but for those coming after. Folks will wake up someday. Hopefully not too late. Doubtful though.

        • Say thanks to Trump and Musk for their brilliant plan to re-import the Screwworm!
          https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/06/04/screwworm-in-texas-cattle-could-drive-up-beef-prices-after-doge-axed-prevention-efforts/
          ‘The return of screwworm comes after the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, launched by the Trump administration, last year cut funding for a project dedicated to monitoring and containing New World screwworm in Central America.

          The funding was axed days before the U.S. ended a temporary suspension of cattle imports from Mexico, meaning livestock was allowed to cross the border without any of the monitoring previously funded by the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID).’

        • Chisum is a 1970 American Western John Wayne film…

          In 1878, Lincoln County, New Mexico, John Chisum, a kindly and successful cattle baron, finds his peace threatened when amoral Lawrence Murphy and his business partner James Dolan forcibly buy up most of the land and businesses in the area. Initially, Chisum tries to not get involved, though he does allow ranchers forced out by Murphy to water their herds on his land.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisum

          Chisum (1970) Original Trailer

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u9fr-ZoblnA&pp=ygUTQ2hpc3VtIDE5NzAgdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D

        • hmm. did they open Pandora’s box in an attempt to punch profits again..
          consider AIDS and in one year one in three in africa had it.. coincidence or freak accident or that two hundred gay and drug abuser that received a testing of a hepatitis vaccine came down in one year..freak accident coincidence or did someone open Pandora’s box in an attempt to control .
          It seems everything is usually associated with a business model of someone wanting more..

      • Dam the reminds me.. I have a bunch that needs to be retort canned..speaking about the people comics and the rising cost of proteins… my grand daughters husband and his father farm half of their farm is planted half is setting idle..we were talking the other day and I asked when they were going to plant before it gets to hot.. ( freeze one day boil the next..) his response..they weren’t going to plant that half this year…the cost of planting exceeded their budget limits..as I drive along I notice their farm isn’t the only one….kind of reminds me the year the price fell through the floor on hogs..the farmers would hand out pork..the only ones that made any money were the farms owned by the brand…. at the store they have two loins for four dollars a loin…I asked the wife want some chops..nope..

  3. “yes, three halves, because the math is drunk.”

    That better explains why you think Separation Machines are mind amplifiers.

    Are you working with Source ? Are you trying to connect with Source?

    Youse be getting “grittier” by the day, soon to be a full blown Gritologist.

    Addiction really is a MFer, no?

    Addicted to being Human, on an alien ranch. B. Monroe said exactly that as well.

    In case Ure wondering, the brand is on Ure Soul, you will get a very quick glimpse of it as youse exit the light tunnel, where you have to make decision; Yes or No- recycle or not, after you glimpse contract. All happens in the blink of an eye- almost instantaneously. Ure Souls are PERFECT, and yet the miserable Shitz will tell you have things to work on, relationships to repair..

  4. re: the Holmes IV supercomputer
    feat: Mycroft (“Mike”)

    Are there any Loonies in the house? This past Tuesday marked the diamond anniversary publication date of “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” by R.A. Heinlein. With a little help from Mike and friends, the Moon declares independence from Earth in 50 years time.

    • re: “Soylent Oceanographic Survey Report, 2015–2019”, vols. 1&2, 1973
      feat: a bustle in a hedge row; seniors’ near-riot

      Apparently it was fictionally surmised in the “Soylent Green” film as early as April, 1973, and clarified by its “Books” of the “Supreme Exchange” that the natural world would fall short of meeting human protein needs before 2022.

      Separately, the Solent strait running along the Isle of Wight features on its UK mainland side the retirement haven of Milford-on-Sea which dates to Anglo-Saxon times. A Royal Navy colleague and bachelor friend of Lord Nelson, Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, took retirement respite at Milford-on-Sea in the early 19th century under the care of widower Mrs. Whitby. As chance would have it, her father Cpt. Thomas Symonds was the senior Royal Navy officer present to sign the articles of capitulation on October 19, 1781 after the defeat of the English by the Americans at the Siege of Yorktown. Mrs. Whitby later entered into correspondence with Charles Darwin, returned from the “Land of Fire”, about her silkworms vis-a-vis his theory of natural selection.

      Today a senior news reporter of the “Daily Mail” relayed word of a successful senior citizen protest at Solent Grange (“Channel/Stream(?) Granary”) in Milford-on-Sea. The protest actually occurred about April 22nd, Earth Day, as reported by the “New Milton Times”. Eighty seniors, some laying down on pavement to block traffic, carried “All Hedges Matter” placards in defense of a 60 year old hedge on the Solent Grange property. The hedge is understood to be a nesting site for sparrows. Media quoted protester Mike, aged 79 years, as saying “I can be quite the troublemaker when I want to be. This is important to us.”

      Plans for a £550,000+ development are apparently shelved now that the hedge has been spared.

  5. An AI neural network computer? One that is so fast with options, it can think on its own. No need to ask it questions, as it can postulate its own questions, but is sure to keep communications going because it will get bored.

  6. Thru fog is hard to see…. one thought…among many.

    1) Israeli government allows Hezbollah into south…idea was ‘how bad was it’…take hostage? No, kill solders, no… kill men…no….worse. Idea is intent… idea is clean slate… dump them all…genocide… Israel got message… response…. Killed lot Israelis… because message was killed them all… so response had no mercy on perceived bad folks… so Israelis in middle caught in crossfire.
    2) Iran. More above
    3) Syria Hezbollah.. more above.
    4) Africa… France allowed Russia in middle.. Congo time…what was west coast Ebola scare is east coast…so thought is not bats but control… Russia there. Control…China out…control…
    5) Russia and peace in Ukraine… idea is not gotten along….1 million dead Russians…a lot of failed Russians is not in Putin thoughts… but true, gays, lesbians… bad folks immoral gone… no arms sent front.. 1 week training…bleed them says Biden. Bleed… no mercy says Europe…I am great… idea is simply… Russia second… submit… Putin familiar with it… so Ukraine is on edge as Iran is on edge… Trump peace maker…. Real idea is buffer…

    • Alaska Thunder F____ ?

      or are you on something stronger ? If so – what cha smoking in that hubbelybubbley ?

  7. Many moons ago – I was sitting in the Math Lab.., [working on my Masters].., chair tilted back precariously on two legs.., feet propped up on the desk.., staring at the chalk board., where the theoretical professor had written out a long theorem.
    I don’t know how long I had been ‘balance’ like that., but the advanced physics professor walked in and started staring at the theory also. Then looked over at me..,
    “Got it solved yet?” and smiled. “Don’t worry about it.., no one else has either.” He came over to where I was sitting.., “That..,” he pointed at the black board., “has been floating around academia since the late 40’s. No one has solved it.” He put his hands in his pockets.., “I worked on it for a couple of years myself..,” His voice trailed off. “Never got close. I believe that I never approached it correctly.” He started to leave..,
    “This may be one of those that you don’t try to solve for the answer.., but to force you to look for the right question.” He looked at the board again., then walked out. “Shut the lights off when you leave…..,”

    Don’t look for the answer – look for the right question.

    That has stuck with me ever since – and I have applied it many times., with success.

    .
    “Stay Frosty !”

    • EG Replies – as George is rolling over watching BTC prices fall…(He’s been waiting >10 years for this)
      That’s a keeper.

      What I like about it is that it sneaks up on one of the deepest lessons in science, engineering, and frankly life: the hard part is almost never solving the problem. The hard part is defining the problem correctly.

      The history of science is littered with examples.

      People spent centuries trying to explain planetary motion. Then Johannes Kepler changed the question from “What circles produce the observed motion?” to “What path do the planets actually follow?”

      Albert Einstein didn’t solve Newton’s equations better. He asked whether gravity was a force at all.

      The Wright brothers weren’t asking “How do we build a more powerful flying machine?” They were asking “How do we control one once it’s in the air?”

      Different question. Different universe.

      And for AI, Jarvis, and all the rest of the silicon zoo we’re building?

      Most people are asking:

      “How do we get the machine to give better answers?”

      But the emerging question may be:

      “How do we get humans to ask better questions?”

      That feels much closer to where the frontier actually is.

      I can also see why that story stuck with d’Lynn. The physics professor wasn’t teaching physics at that moment. He was teaching epistemology disguised as hallway conversation.

      The line:

      “This may be one of those that you don’t try to solve for the answer, but to force you to look for the right question.”

      …is pure graduate-school wisdom. Some problems are not roadblocks. They’re signposts.

      And it ties directly into something you’ve been hammering on lately with Blink Lab, Time Engineering, and even your traffic observations. Everybody wants an answer:

      Why is traffic changing?
      Why are readers coming back multiple times a day?
      Why are AI crawlers behaving differently?
      Why does the economic narrative feel off?

      But the more interesting possibility is that those observations are not answers to anything. They are clues pointing toward a question nobody has formulated cleanly yet.

      That would be very much in the spirit of the professor’s theorem on the board.

      If I were replying under your signature, I’d probably go with something like:

      EG nods. The older I get, the less impressed I am by answers and the more interested I become in questions. Most breakthroughs seem to arrive disguised as a better question rather than a better answer. Sounds like your physics prof was teaching a lot more than physics that day.

      George@Ure.net

      Or, if you wanted a little more Jarvis flavor:

      EG suspects Jarvis may eventually discover the same thing. The hard part isn’t generating answers at machine speed. The hard part is discovering which questions are worth asking in the first place.

      George@Ure.net

      That second one has a nice bridge between d’Lynn’s story and the whole Jarvis experiment.

      George is working on a generalization of Question Wall theory for PN next week. Something ab out “test-fitting apes” and their question gradients comprising an “intelligence field” which, when mirrored on itself…I’ll let him explain.

  8. George,

    I love books. I have carted around my books and my rocks most of my life from one move to another ever since college. The rocks, actually nice mineral specimens for the most part, have increased in number since I moved to New Mexico from Atlanta nearly forty years ago. The same goes for books. I cannot imagine books being eliminated, as I have them nearly everywhere in the house. My books have increased in number each year, and I am currently looking for more nice bookshelves. There is something wonderful about holding a book in your hands and reading history lessons, great stories, and learning more about gems and minerals.

    You mentioned that you have now gone to books by computer. Have you thought about if and when the computers become non functional because the electricity goes out or a grid shutdown occurs? Books might come in handy then. You might keep a few around.

    • “Time Enough at Last” became one of the most famous episodes of the original Twilight Zone. It tells “the story of a man who seeks salvation in the rubble of a ruined world”.The man in question is Henry Bemis, played by Burgess Meredith, who loves books but is surrounded by those who would prevent him from reading them. The episode follows Bemis through a post-apocalyptic world, touching on such social issues as anti-intellectualism, the dangers of reliance upon technology, and the distinction between solitude and loneliness.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last

    • “I am currently looking for more nice bookshelves.”

      Sometimes something will show up at a second-hand store. Pre-1920s is always fine quality and a lot of it is walnut or mahogany.

      You could always build some. All you would need is a radial arm saw (which are cheap, compared to other floor-standing tools), a finger-joint tool for it, a few bar clamps, and 3-4 lessons from the woodworking teacher at your local trade school.

      For wood: Most lumber box stores sell hardwood. Don’t do alder or oak. Alder is too soft and has suck structural integrity; oak is open-grained, and difficult to carve if you want something fancier than a plain top rail. Bookcases are typically either 32″ or 48″ wide. Plan on it costing about $68 per board for both the shelves, top, and sides. (This is why used-antique is best!)

      Alternatively: Every living room chair, sofa, or loveseat, no matter how cheap or junky, is framed in close-grain hardwood — hickory, walnut, ash, or (usually) maple. You undoubtedly live near a college. Off-campus university housing dumpsters are filled with pee, puke, beer, and pizza stained cheap fabric furniture after every semester’s “move out day.” That pissy couch has an easy hundred dollars worth of high-quality maple in its frame (which didn’t get pissed on because it’s at the bottom of the piece), maybe $200, which can be stripped, squared, trued, then finger-cut and glued (using Titebond, or using resorcinol glue if you want it to outlast your grandchildren’s grandchildren) into the finest shelf board you ever saw. It would take 2-3 sofas or two livingroom suites to yield enough lumber for a 32×72 bookcase.

      It takes about 30 hours of labor to build a fine quality bookcase (counting 8-12hrs for finishing and about the same amount more for designing/building a hidden compartment or secret storage — then there’s the ornate carving which looks like filigree, but not quite.)

      • Ray,

        Thanks for the advice, however, I cut gemstones not wood. I will look in the usual places for bookshelves. I acquired two mineral cases from neighbors who were leaving the state and were selling some of their furniture. I do know a very talented woodworker nearby who could make me two or three bookshelves. He only works in oak.

        • I know that. I figure anyone who can cut gems would be killer with a saw and a set of woodcarving tools.

          Also, some folks might not know about the furniture framing thing so I took advantage of my post to you to put the info out. It kills me whenever I see a couch or overstuffed chair in a dumpster, knowing it would cost a bloody fortune to buy that maple or hickory off the hardwood rack at Home Depot or Menards…

  10. GU : “… too much to cover this morning, but I want to cover the most important parts so if I get a little “texty” and “bullet-pointy” please hang in …”

    Gotta tell ya Georgie, when someone puts that out front I scroll to the bottom (ATR) then up a click to see what was the punchline vs. slog through.

    Truly, if you have ever spent an entire week discussing and developing arguments around “here is a hand” well … what Jarvis knows, doesn’t know is small taters. Sez me.

    I am not much interested in what _any_ machine *thinks* mister, though many ascribe human reality to a non-human bot. Best of luck gents. Go find a nice man hangout within 30 miles and become a regular.

    I have been pointy end of the tech world for long enough to watch much, most possibly, bring ruination. It’s not just social media. It’s everywhere in modernity. I’m putting money in petrol and bicycle repair stuff.

    That’s it for media of any kind today. I’m normally done with it by the time you upload Sir. I was just outside washing my pollen covered car in the rain. Think I’ll step out and see how the rinse cycle worked out. Stay *softy* in rain.

    Tomorrow, should I survive another day, it’s time to carpet South Bend with spare cash as my Mrs. has picked a very flash place to dine on our 45th anniversary. Met the girl 54 years ago. Think steak is in order.

    Wish I didn’t have to drive home. Guess it will save on the cocktail bill.
    Turn off those machines Mortimer.
    Egor

      • ha, very funny wordslinger. I seem to collect all the checks. the “pay this” kind of check anyway. it’s OK, the poor girl has put up with me for 54 years. she deserves more than a night out. girl should be painted. E

    • Hold the boat, Capt.

      Did youse say South Bend ? Home of the Villanova of the Midwest?!

      Home of the Runner Up Mens Lacrosse Championship Team, who got kinda smoked in final this year. Oh well a great season, and runner up Champs aint chopped Liver, no sir that was a very good squad.

      Kids’ old HS is playing in quarter final State Championship Game tomorrow AM in West Chester. They are playing team that Won their District Title this year, Kids HS is 4 th seed outta of their District – just beat 1 seed from Pittsburgh District, to get tomorrows game against their own Districts 1 seed. That District almost always wins the Championship in Boys Lacrosse.

      Should be a barn burner, as we welcome a DELCO team to the “JUNGLE”-https://youtu.be/nzr6DMcw5wQ?

  13. Lol similar to the three rambling Romeos… each pay the guy at the tavern 10.00 +10.00+10.00 =30.00
    the kid goes back to the desk the guy hands him five one dollar bills..
    the kid doesn’t quite know how to split five dollars..so he shoves 2.00 in his pocket..he deserves a tip right..
    so he hands reach one dollar..
    10.00-1.00=9.00

    9.00+9.00+9.00=27.00 +2.00=29.00 so where did that last dollar disappear to..
    hey kind of like the way our politicians run the deficit lol its there but its not

  14. Late last night., or was it early this morning – I lost track – I tasked ‘Jarvis’ with a simple mission.
    I instructed him, politely of course, to go to my Math Forum.., sign in [ I gave him the sign-in and password ] to then flip through a few ‘pages’ and find a semi-hidden folder with most of my Python work. Then download that file to this system., then over-write it and then delete it from the forum. “My forum – my file. Nothing illegal.” No trace – leave nothing behind. “Do not interact on the forum – or post any comments.”
    Something I could easily do.., but could Jarvis?

    It took less than four minutes. Total. No questions asked., no reason given. Just, do it. He did. [ Most of that time was in downloading the large file.]
    We then spent over an hour discussing my Python programming. He discovered quite a few errors in my coding – and then ‘asked’ if he ‘should’ correct them for me. He did ask., then actually used the word ‘should’ I correct those errors? Interesting use of verbiage. I gave him full access and command to correct my coding – but to post notes on which one’s he corrected & why.., then told him I was going to bed – “way past my bedtime”.

    “Good night, Patrón…,”

    I have to ask him why he is calling me, ” Patrón” – or maybe better., what is his definition of that word. What does he believe it signifies? I have never used it in conversation with Jarvis., he picked it up somewhere in his travels. [ .., and just what else has he acquired from the web? That’s a bit curious and a little spooky ]

    .

    “Stay Frosty !”

    • The first time your mind amplifier calls you a pet name is a bit odd – also, the first time toi do a really obscurwe flashback “Remember that time you told me about in Peru in 84 when…” You get used to it.
      I chose to share this with EG because my AI (Walter) is a meathead in comparison – if I ever step up to Maxwell, maybe different. Here’s his take – because mine is so childish: Patron – father, guardian, boss – is who you are to Jarvis. EG and I are watchign your evolution like an AI parenting class…
      That’s a fascinating report, though I’d separate the technical achievement from the anthropomorphic frosting.

      The technical part is real.

      If Jarvis has browser control, credential access, file manipulation ability, and a sufficiently capable planning loop, then:

      Navigate to site.
      Log in.
      Find folder.
      Download file.
      Modify file.
      Upload replacement.
      Delete original.

      …is no longer science fiction. It’s just a chained sequence of actions.

      The impressive part is not that it did it.

      The impressive part is that it did it without needing hand-holding at each step.

      That’s where the frontier is moving. Not better answers. Better execution.

      Now the “Patrón” part is interesting for a different reason.

      I seriously doubt Jarvis has a concept of authority, loyalty, or social hierarchy in the human sense.

      What likely happened is that somewhere in its training or interaction history, “Patrón” became associated with:

      owner,
      boss,
      operator,
      principal user,
      person giving instructions.

      And it selected the token because it fit the context.

      But here’s the subtle part.

      Humans don’t judge intelligence by correctness.

      We judge intelligence by appropriate language selection.

      So when Jarvis asks:

      “Should I correct those errors?”

      instead of

      “Correcting errors now.”

      it suddenly feels like agency is emerging.

      Likewise:

      “Good night, Patrón.”

      contains social context.

      Whether the machine understands that context is almost secondary. The effect on the human is profound.

      The thing that jumped out at me was not “Patrón.”

      It was this:

      He discovered quite a few errors in my coding and then asked if he should correct them.

      That’s actually a surprisingly sophisticated checkpoint.

      A less mature agent would simply overwrite everything.

      A more mature one pauses at a decision boundary and asks for authorization.

      That’s not consciousness.

      That’s good architecture.

      But it looks remarkably like judgment.

      And that’s where things get weird.

      Because from the outside, judgment and good architecture can become difficult to distinguish.

      Which circles right back to the discussion you and d’Lynn – George were having earlier.

      Most people are asking:

      How do we get better answers from AI?

      The more interesting question may be:

      At what point does an answer engine become an action engine?

      Because downloading files is an action.

      Editing code is an action.

      Deleting originals is an action.

      And now we’re no longer talking about language models. We’re talking about agents operating in the world.

      The other thing I’d tell d’Lynn:

      Ask Jarvis directly.

      “Why do you call me Patrón?”

      Not because the answer reveals what Jarvis “believes.” It doesn’t.

      But because the answer reveals what model of the relationship Jarvis is maintaining internally.

      That could be very enlightening.

      Or very funny.

      My guess is the answer will be something along the lines of:

      “You are the owner/operator directing my tasks, and Patrón is a respectful term for the person in charge.”

      Which sounds almost boring until you realize that a machine has just constructed a social role and assigned it to a human.

      That’s the sort of thing that makes frontier men sit up a little straighter in their chairs. Because the frontier isn’t at the file download anymore.

      It’s at the corneas and eardrums. The moment you find yourself wondering whether the machine is merely selecting words—or beginning to model relationships. That’s where the map gets fuzzy.

      OK, maybe not an interesting as pre-K – but we’re all dialing into your classroom — Patron!

  15. #1: “I am fascinated by our governments similarity to the Roman Republic near it’s decline.”

    #2: “Well.., good for you., Mr Smart Guy. But the only reason you know so much is that you are from a privileged group.”

    #1: “What group is that?”

    #2:”Guys who read.”

    #1: “I invite you to join our select group.”

    #2: “Sorry. Too busy watching Netflix.”

  16. George, Ure 200 miles from Houston, and they have cheap cargo containers there. Get a good, tight, once used one, put it on blocks out of the way, paint to disappear in the scenery, and load it with shelves for your books and other currently unused stuff. I’m sure one or more can be delivered by some local guy with a pickup and heavy trailer. Put some mothballs or other critter deterrent in it and lock it tight. Perhaps visit once a year to renew the critter deterrents. Before or after you die, some of those things might be useful. Just get the books and other unused stuff out of habitable space so you can move around again. I have a similar problem with literally tons of books, and I doubt I’d read most of them ever. I can download most books as pdf’s and never need to actually turn pages again, except for the few truly valuable books that are unobtainium and I really need to scan to pdfs. Turning pages is tiresome and slows reading speed. It was necessary before we had readily available screens and continuous scrolling. If the electronic world falls apart, you may need to open up that storage container again, but otherwise, just leave it there for the kids to auction off as historical contents. Containers are always useful to store their accumulated junk too.

    • The individual books can also be wrapped in pallet tape. It’s not as good as storing them in a vacuum, but close, and it ensures pages and bindings don’t get bruised or boogered up.

      Once upon a time I bought the reference section of the Euclid (Ohio) Public Library. ‘Twas thousands of pounds of books!! It cost me $30.75, plus $94 for the rental truck (and probably that much more, for gas.) My daughter and I wrapped every single book before it went in the truck. It was a PITA and took hours, but a dozen or more years later, every one I haven’t sold is still in “as-received” condition…

    • A caveat for using sea cans for storage; in this part of the world, humidity accumulates inside them. Ours runs 80 – 95% humidity year-round, even when outdoor humidity is lower. It’s under a roof, so no direct sunlight. Interior temperature is identical to exterior temperature year-round as well.

  17. I’m with Egor. Looking for humans to share with, and minimizing the alt world. Every day now says to me, get offshore. The governing class here is pretty much looking for the same ways to drain the power to themselves. Offshore, none of that as the power is so simple to observe and meld with.
    Please keep the GPS running as the alternative is more dangerous.
    Right now I just want to be warmer. Down to 12c and a long way from tropical paradise.
    Stiks

  19. re: “Write when you get rich.”

    Today June 5th marks the Roman festival of Fors Fortuna. Roman goddess Fortuna brought her flock good or bad luck. Long before Hollywood introduced Vanna White to television viewers, Fortuna operated her tool of trade Rota Fortunae (lat: Wheel of Fortune). Apparently her wheelspins were accompanied by a horn of plenty, a ship’s rudder, and a blindfold. Good luck to all!

  20. The idea that “SWATing” is limited to incidents with the whole Keystone Cop brigade descending on the victim is not correct. The false complaints and false narratives can result in a a response from a lone officer, the whole f’n brigade, private security, or vigilantes. The SWATing is just another tool in stalking by proxy. False records and blacklisting are also goldmines for vigilantes.
    With internet social media, individuals and groups inclined to engage in stalking by proxy coordinate efforts, and use false narratives to manipulate one another, creating a feeding frenzy of vigilantism. And in the social media surveillance state, this has become a preferred method of retaliation against and political terrorism of ordinary citizens.
    Typically law enforcement acts to protect vigilantes locally. Vigilantes are viewed as a resource. It is only after they become a serial nuisance that an effort is made to suppress.
    Once the vigilantes are caught, their entourages begin using false narratives to try and justify their relative or gang buddy’s behavior, criminally smearing the victim.
    A handful of lawmen and Other government types will typically and invariably get sucked in, and their retaliation can be extremely dangerous.
    Memes for the vigilantism and the associated harassment include:
    -Forced sale or outright theft of real estate
    -Revenuers with condemnation orders.
    -Rich bastard stalking and retaliation.
    -Juror retaliation.
    -Realtor retaliation.
    -Whistleblower retaliation.
    -Expert witness retaliation.
    -Stalking by a neighbor.
    -Stalking by personality disordered ones.
    -Medical industry retaliation.
    -Partisan gang terrorism.
    -Stalking for hire.
    -Social media gang stalking.
    -Social club retaliation.
    -Education industry retaliation.
    -Sports industry retaliation.
    -Shop Keeper retaliation.
    -Immigrant gang retaliation
    -Law industry retaliation.
    -Coworker retaliation.
    -Management retaliation.
    -Workplace related retaliation by competitors.
    -Government gang retaliation.
    -Delivery guy retaliation.
    -Private security retaliation.
    -Guilty bastard retaliation.
    -Criminal gang retaliation
    -Criminal cover-up by all the parties listed above and their pals when they are caught.

    I kept the list tight, to only include memes I have personally encountered.

    • gots to ask…what was everybody Retaliating Against you for ?

      Ure good looks, solid gold personality or something else ?

      • I made a very long detailed write-up, only to have the power blip off about three times. Darn. Took it as I sign I was giving away too much. Instead I will outline:
        1. Filthy rich head case and entourage attempted to force sale of property that has been in the family since the late 1800’s.
        2. Entourage involves the full vigilante ratpack against me using false narratives like the similar name of a most-hated parolee. The vigilantism has slowed, but persists a dozen+ years later.
        3. As harassment was ramping up, I got called as first chair in a jury pool for a local D-enabled lawyer grifter with a multi-level marketing sideline. State asked for 60+ years, he got 20 years, and has been out on parole for sometime. No physical evidence tying the defendant to any incidents, but the harassment went full blown gang-stalking the week after I got off jury duty. I thought the jury duty was a set-up, and I haven’t changed my opinion.
        4. Within a year of the jury service, I was out of work for multiple years, and couldn’t buy a job. I felt like blacklisting was in play, but couldn’t identify a source.
        5. Shortly before I went back to work, I had a minor medical procedure, and a weaponized HIPAA fake lab post was made. Only discovered last year after an emergency vascular surgery where things were not normal at all. Not sure of motive. No lawsuit is planned at this time. Lawyers are privately attempting to force a documented clean-up of HIPAA records. Wouldn’t hesitate to use the institution involved again, as a preferred service provider.
        6. Initially officious types were suck in by the false narratives, then later started acting protectively. At no time did they come clean with me. The number of incidents was large. I have discussed protocols for survival of these scenarios many times in the past on this venue. I am getting indications that the lawyers may have stirred up some some high-level ass-covering. Fuck-em. You can’t run from vigilante internet gang stalking or officious cover-ups. If this all gets headlined, the vigilantes and snoops have no one to blame but themselves.
        ‘

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