iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sougwen Chung (愫君) – works by sougwen

As far as great art that speaks to me which is either partially or wholly AI-driven... I think Sougwen Chung's work is amazing, and it speaks to me. She is someone thinking deeply about the intersection of man and machine, and making art that resonates (for me anyway). sougwen.com

sougwen.com

Sougwen Chung

I'm not an artist. I started with Midjourney, but since have moved to Bria and Firefly - which are ethically trained. I use them primarily for idea generation for storyboards and for imagery for music videos and marketing videos.

000

...and I am *not* an artist. But, I built this website as a self-test. Could I create AI images that *I* liked, and resonated with me, from an ethical dataset. Every image here is 100% AI, with some minor Photoshop/Illustrator tweaks. I think some of them are pretty cool. ymmv. defynow.smugmug.com

defynow.smugmug.com

Defy Now

000

Fairly Trained is a non-profit that certifies AI companies for fairer training data sourcing.

Growing corpus of ethically trained, properly licensed models. Adobe Firefly, Getty, Shutterstock, Bria - train on 100% licensed data. (and check FairlyTrained) Many firms respect IP, and do the right thing. AI genie not going back in the bottle. I choose to work to make it better and fairer.

fairlytrained.org

Fairly Trained

201

It's a powerful tool, and like most powerful tools... needs to be treated with respect and caution. I don't hand a 10-yr old a chainsaw and say, "climb that tree and cut it down." I wouldn't let any kid supplant AI in formative years for learning to think, and to communicate that thought.

200

"Use of AI" is not a binary. Most arguments treat AI's creative use as either "all AI" or "all organic." It's not like that... or it shouldn't be. Midjourney helps spark ideas to build from. I've played classical piano since 5, and I *love* using Suno to tease out ideas. It's a tool.

100

I am "if you stretch too hard in the morning you pull something and it feels like you broke a rib" years old. goddamit.

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Podcast guest... "when we got pregnant." I've never been comfortable with that phrase. My wife gave birth to two kids. We raised them. But we were not pregnant. She was. Pregnancy is an awesome power and responsibility. And it is not mine. Parenting - yes. Pregnancy - no.

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

DEI is a concept that evolves, not disappears. The logical outcome of the US administration's language is that any job failure not by a straight, white man will be blamed on gender, race, or sexuality. It's justification for saying everyone is inferior to the white man. Dangerous times.

HIS NUTS ARE CINCHED TIGHT ENOUGH. IT'S NOT SAFE YET!!!

Of all the things we need to know when exiting under emergency conditions...

110

Beware becoming deflated at bottom of slide.

100

Come on dude. You're not Jack Lemmon in glengarry. Fix the tie. Life vests are for closers.

100

"She's got David Boooowie eyes..."

100

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

I have questions, United. 1. What's up with the man-baby?

150

First time landing in SFO for about a year. Holy shit. Y'all need to settle down on the AI ads.

120

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Trump is a rapist. For Trump voters, either... 1. Your *opinion* is right, and a grand jury, jury, two judges, and a federal appeals court is wrong. 2. You're ok with a sexual predator being President. It's a binary. I just don't get it, and I can't get past that.

070

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

USA/CANADA - Tension Strange times as a fairly recent emigrée to Canada. I know and love so many in the USA. And the government is becoming less human. A cold, dispassionate view of suffering, briefly alleviated only when profits align. Don't know what to say. Hard times ahead.

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Afternoon walk on a beautiful day in Victoria...

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

The Overton Wormhole. NYTimes, 2023: "Trump is a fascist, a liar, and fundamentally dangerous for the USA." NYTimes, 2025: "Six Flags Panama Canal: Flume Zooms for America." What the actual f**k.

000

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

I've turned into the guy who buys Christmas lights on clearance for next year.

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

I was off most socials for most of the holidays. Just saw this. Thanks!!!

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Greetings all! My kid's band just released their first EP - record release party/concert, and the works. Follow and like their album on the streamers - even if Screamo isn't your thing. :) Help all musical youths!! open.spotify.com/artist/4Ih6S...

open.spotify.com

Coup D'état

Artist · 1.1K monthly listeners.

150

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

In the year of our lord 2024, we are still using a leading "the" in alphabetizing movie titles. If I'm looking for "The Shining," I'm not looking under"T". So much AI and fancy shit, and yet...

020

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

#netflix - but with the sound of a VHS thunking into a machine every time you hit play.

Aveta👾🇭🇹 @aliafonzy.blacksky.app · 14/11/2024

Reposted by Lucas

Ok thread of all the useful info all in one: Block list , how to make a starter pack , and more ( so I can’t quit googling lol)

3371885858

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Ahem. Testing. I'm not entirely sure I can manage more than one platform at a time and keep it active. Threads is super fun rn, but coming back here to try and share the love.

000

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 29/03/2024

First time I saw Clockwork Orange, I was 19, tripping balls, and didn't really know much about the movie. I still have not fully healed.

130

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 29/03/2024

No knowledge of existing waste disposal regulations. 0 out of 10, would not recommend.

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 29/03/2024

I'm in awe of Cowboy Carter. On my 2nd listen-through now. I'll need to sit with this for a while to really get it. But god damn... what a statement. Beyoncé was right. This isn't a country album. It's a Beyoncé album. Ameriican Requiem -> Blackbird, and DollyP -> Jolene? Damn.

I was doing fine. We were all doing fine...

000

I friggin love that movie...

One thing I *love* about BSky - when famous people die, there is an honest, but not vicious, reckoning about them. Like Joe Lieberman today, and most of my GenX brethren saying some version of, "yeah, that guy was a fucking tool." Which he was.

Least awkward: a gentle, "hey sorry, I think this is yours and it got mixed up with our laundry somehow?" and then back away quickly. Most awkward: Put it on ebay. Send them a link.

God dammit. I keep getting sucked back into the Bad Place, and forget how much nicer and more pleasant it is over here...

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 21/02/2024

I hate talking this way about Alabama. I grew up there. Lots of friends there. But it's an increasingly dangerous place if not white, Christian, cis-gender hetero, male. This decision is very, very bad. It's a full-throated support for US theocracy based in scripture. www.al.com/news/2024/02...

al.com

Fearing prosecution, UAB pauses in vitro fertilization after Alabama embryo court ruling

A statement from the university said they are 'saddened' for patients who are trying to have babies

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 08/02/2024

I have had SO many people ask me over the past decade, "Why VR?" This is why. open.substack.com/pub/meldingp...

open.substack.com

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 27/01/2024

Friend of mine worked with her in the studio, and speaks of the genius that leaked from her pores. One of those rare souls that electrified every room she walked into.

021

Update on the proposed EU Forced Labour Import Ban – UFLPA-Style regulation on the horizon?

Hey Horace - been following this effort for a few months, and to my knowledge, it is not yet adopted. (And, it was spurred by, and based on US legislation around the Uyghurs.) I'm happy to be wrong! Can you provide a link for banned US goods? www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/up...

jdsupra.com

On 14 September 2022, the European Commission released a proposal for a Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the EU market, taking a comprehensive approach, with the ban...

...meanwhile in Canada...

Photo of Canadian Global News, with a lower third saying, "Dozens of unauthorized pills claiming to help boost sex game off the market across Canada over the past year."

Unrelated - have a great New Year. You are worth it. :)

000

Hey Colin... for you (and everyone), it is also available for free, including all deleted scenes, on the trusty Internet Archive, which also has links for downloading the entire film as H.264 or MKV. :) archive.org/details/1971...

archive.org

1389

Lucas @boomtown.bsky.social · 31/12/2023

Hey everyone... at year-end, I always do a music best-of meta-list for myself. I got a lot of requests for it from friends this year, so put it in an easer-to-digest format. For your listening pleasure... meldingpot.substack.com/p/best-music...

meldingpot.substack.com

Best Music of 2023

MetaList and my list!

000

Ask the folks at the AMIA. (amianet.org) Someone in that group will know. Also, reach out to the motion picture division at the US Library of Congress. They do work with older formats quite a bit.

amianet.org

The Association of Moving Image Archivists - The Association of Moving Image Archivists