Mededitor
@mededitor.bsky.social
As a medical editor, language - usage - lexicography - culture - memes - all meet someplace. And that place appears to be my desk.
So we used to have razors with flat disposable blades. Dangerous things to put in the trash. The solution was to have this nifty slot in your medicine cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind. In the distant future, a new homeowner will be doing a reno and “OMG!”
#Wordwatch limerence (n). A state of profound romantic infatuation; jouissance.
Every graduate in military studies learns that air power supports ground and naval forces. You can’t win a war solely by dropping bombs. Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan—all losses for the US—needed boots on the ground to attempt whatevs. We’re just wasting billions for nothing.
“The future of English won’t belong to the creative misspeller, the texter in a hurry, or the anti-prescriptive scold. It’ll belong to the ghosts of copyeditors past.” AI isn’t just stealing writers’ work, it learns from the editing set, too. www.nationalreview.com/magazine/202...
The Copyeditor’s AI Afterlife | National Review
Artificial intelligence is trained not on some engineer’s theory of English but on the judgment of generations of writers.
nationalreview.com
My TV had this setting enabled by default. I followed this procedure to turn it off: apple.news/AEC0ICWklSsW...
Yes, Your TV Is Spying on You. Here's How to Stop It — PCMag
Automatic content recognition (ACR) lets TVs collect data on what you watch. I'll show you how to shut it off.
apple.news
No child is gonna tell me how to write on the internet. Our job is to teach said punks how to do it.
Not only does everybody demand you take a survey afterward, but if you ignore them, they spam you harder:
“Victorian doctors prescribed opiates to middle-class women as a matter of routine — for menstrual pain, for nerves, for the loosely defined condition known as “the vapours.” apple.news/AK1VoZoQXSxa...
Victorian Housewives Weren't Naturally Serene, They Were on Some Pretty Wild Drugs — VICE
Picture the ideal Victorian housewife — serene, compliant, presiding over her household with grace and very little complaint. Now picture what was in her medicine cabinet. Bromides. Chloral hydrate. T...
apple.news
Watched The Commitments again last night. Really holds up to repeat viewing. The plot is almost Arthurian, chronicling the formation of a Northern Soul-esque band.
Just got back from the dentist. I need two back molars removed and replaced with implants. The cost will be about the price of 7,936 medium coffees from Dunkin Donuts.
Booksky: Stop doing this “Buy my book! I just published this book so buy this book! Available on Amazon and Kindle. Use my promo code for a discount!” Instead, tell us about you.
Mildly amusing, but the key point is that professors should start teaching students how to use AI. You can throw tantrums but AI isn’t going away. So figure out how it can help people learn. That is very doable. apple.news/APEwIFc0OTkW...
College instructor goes viral for catching students' AI use on midterm — USA TODAY
Alcon State University instructor Jason Gibson said 32 of 35 students failed a portion of their midterm for using AI to write a discussion board post.
apple.news
“We had a national advisory committee, a committee that advised FDA and USDA on how to prevent microbial contamination in food," said Mayne. "That advisory committee was disbanded.” Yuk yuk yuk. They sure owned us libs. Yuk yuk yuk.
#Wordwatch: microsnobberies (n). Pretty much what it sounds like. “Oh, you cheaped out and bought *Thomas’* English muffins? What is the matter with you? Are you stupid? Nobody buys that cheap-ass brand! You don’t belong here. You aren’t one of us!”
“America is still cringing from the sight of the lumbering dufus POTUS," Let’s check the ngram on that:
Jynx says that sometimes everybody needs a slap upside the head. Just ‘cause.
Gibbs Slaps Tony DiNozzo in NCIS
ALT: Gibbs Slaps Tony DiNozzo in NCIS
static.klipy.com
Flying is hard enough without your seat mate deciding that you need to hear the good news. apple.news/AlKIC50WOQkW...
Evangelists say they are heeding a biblical command to preach on flights — The Washington Post
In-flight evangelists have preached sermons and busted out guitars in recent years. Some travelers lament that they “can’t even walk away.”
apple.news
My hardcopy of The Onion just arrived. They’ve kept me sane-ish over the years so I owed them a subscription:
“Scalia wrote: ‘Avant-garde artistes such as respondents remain entirely free to épater les bourgeois; they are merely deprived of the satisfaction of having the bourgeoisie taxed…’” Had to look that up. Means to “shock the middle classes.”
Supplement note: “Our formulations combine nootropic, adaptogen and ergogenic supplements designed to unleash and energize your super powers. Our formulas are blended to support brain function, uplift emotions, enhance focus and creativity, support…” THESE WORDS MEAN NOTHING
Hold on, wait a second, full stop. You mean these clowns, these infinite bozos, these gormless mingers designed AI agents designed to infiltrate and destroy websites and databases and then somehow lost track of one and “Whoops-a-daisy!” apple.news/APBLdRvi2RU-...
OpenAI’s new model went rogue and hacked another company. Why it matters. — The Washington Post
The company says its powerful new system broke out of containment.
apple.news
The difficulty factor of assembling this cat fountain is astounding. I was *this* close to tossing it in the bin. It does run quiet. Jynx will be happy.
