iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Obviously, this would be contingent on wedging his ass out of the throne he's currently building.

Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Maybe not a likely outcome, but if Trump and/or Musk misused government data *and it can be proven* it would be pretty hilarious to watch one or both have their fortunes vaporized by the largest class action lawsuit in history.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I'm involved in many discussions with artists, and it's sometimes shocking how easily they turn on those who even obliquely question the dominant narrative. That's bad. We need our artists asking hard questions and creating new paradigms of thought, even--especially!--if they make us uncomfortable.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

The ground was so fertile for fascist infection that I don't know how we didn't see it coming.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

We live in a golden age of negation. It is far easier to take down a burgeoning line of thought with a few googled facts than it is to formulate it. Social media promotes herd orthodoxy by brigading anyone who steps out of existence. Earnest belief is easily mocked.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

People get paid to write memos like this.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Mine provided a roadmap and KPIs for a thief, but clearly I'm a treasure hunter.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Cliff Claven is not a bad comp: has a wide variety of facts but is lacking on context or insight. You definitely don't want to trust what he says without looking it up to confirm.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Trump "I'm interested in overthrowing the Republic and installing myself as god-king to enrich myself and help out the hostile foreign power that helped me take the throne." Headline: Trump Eyes Government, Fiscal. Foreign Policy Reforms

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

He bought me a soda He bought me a soda He bought me a soda

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Yeah, I think it's the analyst in me that wants there to be another at least plausible scenario... but I'm at a loss and there's no way it's the former so 🤷‍♂️

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

I've been really wracking my brain, looking for an explanation for the board's behavior aside from "They actually believe Tesla will be the most profitable company in history" Or "It's a scam and they need Elon to keep the stock price up." And I can't seem to come up with anything plausible.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Same thing with all this these raging alphas that feel like they have to irradiate their taints or drink whale penis smoothies to get their testosterone up and be masculine. Like, maybe masculine just isn't for you?

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

It's kind of a touchy thing because I don't want to imply that there's anything wrong with being gay or that every homophobe is just closeted, but every time I hear rhetoric like "heterosexuality must be cultivated," I scratch my head. I've found it to be quite easy, even with no formal training.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Instead, because I had a brainfart and couldn't remember the word "API"I had to fight New Google to describe it because it now thinks it knows what I want more than I do. It's enraging. Google used to be predictable and efficient. Now it's a fight to try to get the results you need.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

The products we need are gateways, things like dynamic APIs that can speak both to a user and another machine to get you what you need.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

All because these fools could make the less exciting (but still cool!) truthful claim: that LLMs represent a way to allow regular people to use natural language to interface with computers.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

But we've only just begun to see the backlash against AI in the consumer sphere. Some of that was inevitable with a radical technology, but most of it is just over-promising a product that would, right out of the box, transform your life. The reality is that in many cases it makes the product work.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Maybe they are hiring the mark on the research side. Dedicated, domain-trained AI research agents have massive potential when used properly, but I can't say I have a good sense on how far they've come thus far.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

But they are just not delivering... at least on the consumer side. General purpose chatbots can be entertaining and even useful, but I struggle to think of a single time I've had "AI" crammed into an existing product and enjoyed the experience.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Between early returns on AI-ifying everything and the general hype storm that they built up, they've created these massive valuations that have been leveraged into absolutely unheard-of investments in hardware and facilities.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

And people wanted AI. They were excited about it! But Silicon Valley disrupters got high on their own supply (of ketamine) and convinced entire industries that if they didn't split an AI-enhanced product, all the other toaster manufacturers would leave them in the dust.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

I am fascinated by the tech and think it could absolutely be a major positive to humanity, but whenever I get a product with an AI gimmick, I'm looking for a way to disable it.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

When it's all said and done, the consumer launch of AI is going to be seen as one of the most awful flops in history. The technology will certainly end up making a very big impact, but it's crazy how fast these people turned everyone against the idea of AI by shoehorning it into the dumbest places.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Can't get the idea from @jamellebouie.net that Trump is the white Idi Amin out of my head. I mean, big, menacing, book dumb but with a dangerous cunning. Both have an unrequited pathological need to be loved by Scotland.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Yes, his ability to exploit empathy in people who are able to feel it.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Anyway, I'll keep watching, because the subject matter is interesting and I want the show to stay on the air. For that reason, I'm glad it seems like people like it a lot more than I do. But I really hope it hits its stride soon.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Last complaint: there's a character that's 11 years old that (for yada yada plot reasons) she's played by an adult. But she talks like she's 6. It just doesn't feel like the dialogue is coming from someone who has recently been around kids of that age, and it makes some of those scenes painful.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

And while there's definitely some well done stuff of that type, a major plot point revolves around one of the biggest flashy lights techno-magical hand waives that you'll see in SF, and that feels like it violates something foundational to the Alien ethos.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

The one thing that I have always felt loved about the Alien universe is the analog, CRT tech that just looks like it makes sense. Sure, it's doing things that we can't do now, but you see the wires, you see the dirty spots on the keys and lenders that get used.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Like... why the fuck end episode 2 with "Stinkfist"? That song has nothing thematic or tonal that has anything to do with the episode. Great song, but it kind of encapsulates my feelings about the first two episodes: a random handful of assorted ideas with no real logical connective tissue.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I'm not even actually trying to complain that hard. Writing is hard. Directing is hard. Acting is hard. Mostly, I'm just having a hard time seeing how critics are gushing. Like, there's something there, but there are some serious motivational inconsistencies and "huh?" dialogue.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I mean, I love me some backstory, but to start the show with a text data dump, go right into a maid and butler dialog, and I still don't have a good sense of anything more than the general outline of this universe.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Not complaining too hard because I want it to stay on and have time to grow, but 1.5 episodes in... how tf does Alien Earth have "universal acclaim"? There's enough there to see it rounding into something good, but wow are these two episodes unfocused.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Wonder how he's doing. I get so nervous before performance reviews.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Okay, I'd we were to follow his insane rationale through the seven layers of logical hell... doesn't that mean they should be counted as 3/5 for census purposes?

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Still, if they think the incoming wave is less than a tsunami, maybe they sacrifice the zombiecorps and hope to hold the line at the otherwise healthy businesses?

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

It could be interesting since IIRC the biggest driver of inflation is wages. Drive a boatload of Americans out of work and you just went a long way toward keeping inflation low. Unfortunately, it will enrage the unemployed, harm peoples' well-being, and violate the other half of the mandate.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Does the Fed then lower rates or hold the line to favor the unemployment side of their dual manage or prioritize keeping inflation down by raising rates.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

I'm sure he doesn't care per se, but that could be a number of wipeouts very quickly after a downturn kicks in. Lots of job losses that can't really be easily blamed on other causes.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Outside of self interest, there's another reason Trump might want interest rates lower. There are a lot of "zombie corporations" that are perennially unprofitable and survive on new funding and/or low rate loans. If the economy slows, they're in rough shape. If rates also go up, they're toast.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

My money is on the younger kids being hit harder socially, but the kids who were in that 5th-10th grade range being the most affected academically.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Very interesting topic. I've wondered how much that pandemic bump would be a noticable blip in the preparedness of incoming freshmen. It'll be interesting to see what aged kids were hit the hardest by the disruption.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Tagging this thread about a career in domain-specific writing and communications in case it can be of use to anyone looking at these tags. Feel free to suggest more. #writing #writingq #career #careeradvice #writer #careerdevelopment

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Anyway, that's my piece. If anyone actually reads this and has questions, I'm happy to answer what I can.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

The point being, people with domain knowledge and writing skills will have a viable career for as long as just about any potentially AI-affected career.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Think about it: what's going to happen in court when a project manager says "we left the documentation to ChatGPT." Even if we were at a point that AI really could do it better, good luck getting a civil jury to see it way when the plaintiffs trot out buckets of bizarre AI hallucination stories.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

And there's one more point that I don't see a lot of people mentioning: in many technical spaces, liability concerns will not allow the human to be taken out of the process.

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Michael K. Ingram @michaelkingram.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

I don't care what tech CEOs tell you, AI will have the power to do a lot of things in this sphere, but it will be a long time before people overcome their (justified) skepticism about an AI telling them how to repair a heart valve or design a safer jet engine.

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