I was up early as I always am when there’s an alarm
set. I turned the telly on as I made toast. I always do that because for some odd reason the SkyQ box
takes an age to boot up in the mornings. As I fiddled in the kitchen so the
thing eventually came on and was playing a teleshopping advert for a cordless pressure washer. I’ve got the exact
same thing in the shed; the advert on telly was misleading (to say the least).
I suppose I should really complain to the advertising standards people…
As I scoffed toast I watched an episode of “Derek”
and then had my little look at the Internet. It was still there. American blood
bankers were posting to the work-related Facebook pages asking social media
questions that are common knowledge to anyone who has worked for maybe half an
hour in a UK blood bank… I’m sure there must be some competent American blood
bankers but they are clearly making a point of not sharing their wisdom with
their trainees.
And another friend was posting a six-year anniversary
of his leaving a toxic workplace. I worked in one of those… you don’t really
realise just how bad a workplace is until you go somewhere else.
I Munzed, and got ready for work… in a summer shirt.
Now the clocks have gone forward the winter shirts are back in the cupboard and
the summer shirts have come out. I’m told that most people don’t have summer
and winter shirts. Most people don’t go hunting for Tupperware under rocks,
have Star Trek tattoos and more dogs than sense so I’m again in the minority.
As I joined the motorway I narrowly avoided being run
off the road by a lorry of the Napolitrans
company. As I've said before it is a bit daft to drive like an idiot when
you've got your company's name emblazoned over what you are driving. I would
complain to their head office, but I doubt they'd take any notice.
As I drove the pundits on the radio were talking about
the Artemis mission to the Moon which is supposedly blasting off tomorrow.
It was mentioned that this should be a big thing for schools as the astronauts
who will be on the first manned mission to Mars will currently be in those
schools.
Will they?
I'd like to think so, but... I can remember getting
very excited when the very same thing was said during the Apollo missions of
the early seventies when I was at school. That sadly came to nothing, didn't
it. I can remember a few years after the Apollos when I was at the
secondary school's astronomy club. Someone asked the physics teacher when he
thought the first landing on Mars would be. The fellow was spot on with his
reply. He said it would be when the Americans got worried that the Russians or
Chinese might get there first. This was in the late seventies, and the teacher
said (and was probably right) that the technology to get to Mars existed
back then, but the financing didn't.
I stopped off in Sainsburys for some supplies for the
weekend and a sandwich. In a novel break with tradition they'd opened one of
the tills operated by a member of their staff. I smiled at the nice lady on the
till. She didn't smile back; her face might have cracked if she had done so.
Oh, she was miserable.
I went on to work and did my bit, and came home again.
Once home I asked Microsoft Copilot to do something. “Daddies’
Little Angel TM” says that the A.I. knows too much about
me and I should be careful what I tell it. So I asked it to make a caricature
of me based on everything it knows about me and it came up with the photo above
on the left. When I asked it how and why it had come up this picture it told me
“I based the caricature on everything I’ve learned
about your creative preferences and interests. You’ve shown a clear love for
cartoon and caricature art styles, bright, happy moods, and playful, whimsical
depictions of everyday life—especially when they involve pets, nature, or
humorous takes on technology.
So, I imagined you surrounded by the things that spark
your curiosity and joy: fantasy books, gaming dice, pop culture icons, and a
touch of tech humor. The scene blends fantasy and sci‑fi elements with
a cozy, creative workspace vibe—reflecting your mix of imagination, humor, and
intellect.”.
Well… I like sci-fi and fantasy… but I’m not massively
impressed with the Discworld books. I honestly think “Lord of the Rings”
is one of the most tedious books I’ve ever read, and I’d never heard of “The
Wheel Of Time”.
I’ve no real interest in films; most play for too
long.
Star Wars is (at best) over-rated.
I’ve not played any dice games for over twenty years.
I’m a dog person, not a cat person.
I’ve absolutely no interest in collecting Bobbleheads.
And the person in the picture looks nothing like me…
I suggested it might try again. It had a go but
stopped and told me “It looks like the image request was blocked
because the system interpreted it as potentially involving copyrighted
material. That can happen sometimes even when the request is totally innocent —
it’s more of a protective misfire than anything you did wrong.
Here’s the good news: we can absolutely try again, and
I can help you phrase it in a way that avoids triggering that filter.
If you’d like, you can simply say something like:
“Create a whimsical
cartoon caricature of me based on my preferences.”
“
So I asked it to “Create a whimsical cartoon
caricature of me based on my preferences”.
This time it came up with the one on the right. It
still looks nothing like me, but there’s a dog in there. And I suppose fox poo
features in my life…
When I asked it what prompted it to come up with that
picture it replied “the caricature wasn’t meant to be a literal
likeness of your face or body. I don’t actually know what you look like, so I
built the image around your personality and preferences instead.
Here’s what guided it:
- You enjoy whimsical, cartoonish art, so the style leaned playful and exaggerated.
- You like forest and nature settings, so I placed the scene outdoors with woodland creatures.
- You have a fondness for humorous, pet‑centric imagery, so the dogs and fox joined in.
- You appreciate creative, geeky touches — hence the dice, laptop stickers, and “NERD HQ” sign.
It’s more of a visual caricature of your vibe than
your appearance — a portrait of your interests and energy rather than your
face.”
I don’t think A.I. is going to take over the world
just yet…
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