This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This video is a CreepyPasta story that I wrote and narrated myself. Enjoy!
Happy Super Bowl LVIII Sunday!
It’s finally here!
Today is a day football fans and sports fans, in general, have been looking forward to all year!
It’s Super Bowl Sunday! And as a lifelong football fan and sports fan, I couldn’t be happier.
Now, that’s not to say I’m happy with the match-up. I’ll go on record as saying that, when the NFL playoffs began, one of the last match-ups I wanted to see was the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. Beyond just being a repeat of Super Bowl LIII, these are two teams that most NFL fans outside their respective fanbases are sick of seeing in the playoffs.
I’ll also go on record as saying that I was rooting against these teams in every NFL playoff game this year. I would’ve much rather seen my local team, the Baltimore Ravens, make it to the Super Bowl. I also wouldn’t have minded seeing the Detroit Lions, the Buffalo Bills, or even the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl.
But in football, you don’t have much control over how games play out or how the ball bounces. Like it or not, the 49ers and the Chiefs played better than every team they faced. They made big plays when they needed to be made. They took advantage of their opponents’ mistakes. Hate the match-up all you want, but there’s no question that these two teams earned their right to play in Super Bowl LVIII.
At this point, I’m just hoping for a good, competitive game. That’s what we got last year when the Chiefs inched out a win over the Philadelphia Eagles. I hope we get something similar this year. It’s bound to be different, given the make-up of both teams. This Chiefs team is not the same offensive powerhouse they’ve been in years past, but they have shown that they can win defensive struggles while still putting up points. And the 49ers have what might be one of the deepest rosters, in terms of skill position, as well as one of the best coaching staffs in all off football.
On top of all that, this will be the first Super Bowl to ever take place in Las Vegas. For a city that didn’t have a single professional sports team six years ago, that’s quite a moment. And having been to Las Vegas, I expect there to be a party like no other before, during, and after the game. It is what Las Vegas does best and I hope it sets a good precedent for future Super Bowls.
While I wish I could join that party, I’m perfectly content with my yearly Super Bowl setup. Later this afternoon, I’ll start cooking a large batch of chicken wings. I’ll set a table up in front of my coach, load it with snacks and beer, and turn my surround-sound speaker system to watch the game. And when kickoff finally comes, I’ll be ready!
I don’t know who will win. So long as it’s a good game, I don’t really care. It’s the Super Bowl. It’s about more than the game. It’s the culmination of everything this past NFL season has been building towards. Having followed it since the preseason, I am so ready!
Filed under NFL, sports, Uncategorized
A Note To Those Who Are Angry With Taylor Swift
As a general rule, I do not look to celebrities to inform my opinions on politics. And I strongly recommend that approach for everyone. Getting your politics from a celebrity is like getting medical advice from a plumber. It’s both misguided and irrational.
That even applies to celebrities with the star power of Taylor Swift. I’m fully aware that, in terms of celebrity star power, she’s on a very different level compared to most. I even referenced her when I said nobody should ever be as famous as Michael Jackson. Be that as it may, she might very well be the only one to come close to that level of star power.
Now, I don’t consider myself a full-blown Swifty, as they’re called. But I do have friends and relatives who are as passionate about all things Taylor Swift as I am about superhero comics. And I totally respect that. I get that kind of passion. But even those die-hard Taylor Swift fans understand on some levels that she’s not a political figure. She’s an entertainer and, by far, one of the most successful of the past 25 years.
Then, there are those who are angry at Taylor Swift for her recent politics. But unlike other instances in which celebrities mix star power with politics in objectively awful ways, this anger is even dumber than usual. It barely even has anything to do with politics, which makes it even dumber when people try to put a political spin on it.
While I’d rather not get into all the drama surrounding Taylor Swift’s foray into politics, going back to 2020, the current source of outrage is this. Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce, the star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs. And her presence at Chiefs games has had a significant impact on both the ratings of those and the overall interest in this relationship.
Naturally, the NFL loves the extra attention they’re getting from Swift’s legion of dedicated fans. But there is also a sizable crowd of angry, politically motivated individuals who hate the attention she’s bringing to the games, as well as the “politics” she’s engaged in. And I put “politics” in quotes because the criteria these people are using is too stupid for me to put into words.
Officially, the only real political activity Swift has engaged in since 2020 is encouraging people to register to vote. She never told anyone who to vote for or even what party to vote for. She just used her massive platform as a celebrity to get people out to vote. In most circumstances, that’s an objectively good thing. Getting people to participate in the democratic process helps the country, as a whole.
But unofficially, those who hate this brand of “politics” think she and Travis Kelce are part of some elaborate conspiracy to rig the 2024 Presidential Election against their side. They genuinely believe in a real, tangible conspiracy theory that has shadowy political forces manipulating Swift into influencing the upcoming election in a certain way.
Again, it is too stupid for words. I could write an entire book on how stupid it is, but it still wouldn’t be enough.
So, without getting too deep into the politics, I just want to convey one important message to those who are angry with Taylor Swift, her politics, her current relationship, and her public persona.
Getting angry at her for such petty reasons is a huge mistake.
That’s not a warning or anything. That’s just a simple, logical observation. Because targeting public figures for their political views is bad enough. We’ve already seen this same crowd of angry reactionaries target companies, comedians, school boards, and even a children’s hospital.
Yes, they actually got angry at a children’s hospital. That, alone, should tell you all you need to know about the nature of these peoples’ anger.
But going after Taylor Swift is different. She is not someone who is unaccustomed to public scrutiny. She has been a celebrity for over a decade, long before the current political climate. She also is familiar with dealing with hostile fans. So, she’s likely not going to be intimidated by that sort of fiery rhetoric.
Most critically, Taylor Swift has legions of passionate fans who won’t hesitate to defend her. And in this case, they would be perfectly right in defending her because she’s doing nothing outrageous. Again, all she has done since 2020 is encourage people to register to vote. And the fact that this is what enrages these reactionaries so much is both telling and pathetic.
It’s as though they know for a fact that if more people vote, they’re more likely to lose major elections. They’re aware that their views are unpopular, untenable, and just plain wrong. And the only why they have a chance of winning is if enough people aren’t motivated to vote.
That, in and of itself, is pretty egregious. But take another step back and look at the larger message this outrage is sending. These people are utterly outraged at Taylor Swift, one of the most successful and celebrated entertainers of all time, for simply not agreeing with them politically. The way she carries herself, the way she navigates the world of celebrity, and the political stances she’s taken in the past are just too much for them.
And that, simply put, is pathetic.
On top of that, these reactionaries are telling Swift’s legion of fans that they hate her for this one simple disagreement. And many of those fans are young, passionate, and likely weren’t even interested in her politics until people from a certain end of the political spectrum started attacking her. How do you think they’re going to feel about those who hate her? Moreover, how do you think that’s going to impact their voting habits?
Personally, I still don’t care about Taylor Swift’s politics. Even if she didn’t agree with me politically, I would still have her songs on my workout playlist. Whenever there’s a disagreement like that with anyone, celebrity or otherwise, it’s just easier to shake it off.
But that apparently isn’t enough for these angry, reactionary whiners. They still feel compelled to attack her for the sin of not going along with their agenda. And they really think they’re more powerful than Taylor Swift’s legion of fans.
Well, if they really think that, by all means. Keep trying to villainize her. Keep pretending that hating her won’t have a significant influence on young people who love her music. Just don’t be surprised if the consequences aren’t something you can easily shake off.
Filed under Celebrities and Celebrity Culture, politics, rants
Ultimate Black Panther #1 Review: Wakanda Goes To War!
This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This video is my full review of Ultimate Black Panther #1 by Bryan Hill and Stefano Casalli. This newly-rebooted Ultimate universe continues to evolve in major ways after the events of Ultimate Invasion. And now, Wakanda is set to become the front lines for who will control the future of this new Marvel universe.
King T’Challa finds himself in the midst of an emerging conflict. Khonshu and Ra are waging war on the rest of Africa. And T’Challa has no Avengers to aid him. It sets the stage for a war the likes of which we’ve never seen before as the chaos of this new Ultimate universe continues to evolve. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, superhero comics, YouTube
Neuralink Has Implanted Its First Brain Chip (But Don’t Get Excited)
I know it’s been a while since I talked about Neuralink. A few years ago, I followed news about this endeavor closely because I genuinely believed that brain/computer interfaces was an important technology to develop. These days, I still believe that. I think it has only become more vital as the progress in artificial intelligence has accelerated.
However, there’s a reason why I haven’t talked much about Neuralink in quite a while. I admit some of that is because some pretty significant world events got in the way of following technology trends. However, a much bigger part of my disinterest came from the one behind Neuralink, Elon Musk.
The long and short of it is this. I once respected and admired Elon Musk for his efforts to develop new and emerging technology. But then, once I started scrutinizing him, his background, his business practices, and his tendency to make ridiculous promises that he can never keep, I came to the conclusion that Elon Musk isn’t just an unscrupulous businessman. He’s an asshole.
Believe me, there’s a lot I could say about him, but I prefer not to. Insulting someone with billions of dollars and access to high-priced lawyers is risky these days. I’ll just say that the combination of COVID-19 and buying Twitter didn’t really break Musk. It just exposed the kind of person he really is and that person is not one worthy of respect.
Now, with respect to Neuralink, there is still some real value behind the company, the efforts, and the technology. Integrating the human brain with technology isn’t just a promising field. It might very well be necessary if humans are to adequately adapt to a future in which there will likely be machines much smarter and more capable than any person who has ever lived. Even if AI never becomes as intelligent as an average human, having humans that can interact with it on a more intimate level could fundamentally change our species and our society for the better.
And to that end, Neuralink has officially taken a critical first step. According to NPR, the company has successfully implanted its first brain chip into a human participant. We don’t know many details, nor do we know the identity of the person who received the chip. We only know what was conveyed in the announcement, which is rarely something you can take at face value with Elon Musk.
But even if you don’t trust Musk, and you shouldn’t, this feat has been in the works for a while. Neuralink has been actively recruiting volunteers for implants for over a year now. And this effort was authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The primary participants, at least for now, are those who have suffered brain or spinal chord injuries. So, it’s not like Neuralink is accepting applications from those who just want a brain chip for no reason.
That approach is to be expected. Even Musk has said that the initial efforts with Neuralink will focus on helping paraplegics or those suffering from conditions like ALS. If and when the technology matures, then it’ll expand access to other users, but still for therapeutic purposes. Eventually, it would get to a point where brain implants aren’t just treatments. They would be like smartphones that people willingly purchase and have implanted.
And it’s that last part where I believe proponents of this technology should temper their hopes. Until we know more about the patients, the nature of the brain implants, and the impact on the participants, nobody should be eager to get one themselves. These brain implants are not about to become the next iPhone. This is a technology that needs much more investment, refinement, and development.
And if history is any guide, you really shouldn’t trust someone like Elon Musk to deliver that level of advancement. Despite the persona he tries to convey, he is not Tony Stark. He is not a brilliant scientist or inventor. He just hires those kinds of people and has a nasty habit of screwing them over.
He is, and always has been, a salesman first. He may very well be a genuine futurist trying to make a better future, but his tendency to get into petty feuds on social media and say objectively dumb things should give everyone pause. But at the end of the day, he’s an obscenely wealthy, incredibly out-of-touch businessman.
That means he likely sees Neuralink as just another business that he hopes will make him even richer than he already is. Even if he believes in the inherent value of the technology, he will exploit it for billions if it ever becomes a viable commercial product. That’s just how billionaires operate. And given the distressing tendency for billionaires to be psychopaths, it would be unwise to give Elon Musk or anyone like him access to your brain.
Now, I’ll say it again. This technology is important and what Neuralink achieved is a vital first step. The successful operation of one brain implant means it’s no longer on paper. This technology is officially real. Like the first person who drove a car or the first person to fly a plane, this is a major leap in our ongoing efforts to develop better and bolder technology.
We don’t know where this feat will lead or whether it’ll pan out in any meaningful way, but it’s worth being hesitant and a little extra cautious. It’s not wrong to trust in the sincere efforts of others who want to improve the lives of others. But it’s always wise to be skeptical of the intentions of unscrupulous billionaires with inflated egos.
Filed under Artificial Intelligence, Neuralink, technology
Super Bowl Memories: Why Super Bowl XLII Is My Favorite Super Bowl
This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
In preparation for the Super Bowl, I made this video sharing some personal experiences with how I’ve watched this incredible game and why it means so much to me. I’ve been a big football fan all my life and the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal for all those who play it.
And while I’ve watched many great Super Bowls over the year, the one I remember watching most fondly was Super Bowl XLII when the New York Giants upset the undefeated New England Patriots. It was a hell of an experience and one we may never see again in football. But it gets to the heart of why I love the Super Bowl so much. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, NFL, sports, YouTube
Update On (Non) AI George Carlin Special: New Details And Implications
Things tend to move quickly in the world of technology and artificial intelligence. And since the arrival of ChatGPT, the pace seems to have accelerated. I try to keep up with it as best I can. And I only really write or make videos about it if I have something meaningful to contribute.
But there are some stories I follow more closely for personal reasons. One such story has been the controversy surrounding the AI-generated George Carlin special that came out in early January 2024. I certainly hope I made my feelings on that issue clear. As much as I support the development of AI, I felt like this was in really poor taste.
It didn’t sound much like George Carlin. The humor, while funny at times, didn’t hit as hard as Carlin’s unique brand of comedy. And, most importantly, it was done without the consent of George Carlin’s family, namely his daughter, Kelly Carlin. It’s one thing to impersonate a dead celebrity with living relatives. It’s quite another to use an AI to create what could amount to a post-mortem piece of work that’s done in the mold of that celebrity.
Well, not surprisingly, Kelly Carlin didn’t stop at just scorning the creators of this AI special. According to the Hollywood Reporter, she filed a lawsuit against the creators of the comedy special on the basis that it’s an unauthorized use of George Carlin’s copyrighted work, while also illegally using Carlin’s name and likeness for promotional purposes.
Make no mistake. This case will be of immense interest to those concerned about how we use, abuse, and develop AI in the future. This, on top of new concerns about deepfakes for artists like Taylor Swift, is set to create some major precedents. And they’re bound to affect users, companies, and the nature of the AI’s themselves.
However, the filing of this lawsuit has added a new wrinkle to this controversy that is definitely worth acknowledging. It has since come out that the script for this “special” wasn’t a result of an AI generating it from a compilation of all of Carlin’s past works, as claimed by the creators. It was entirely written by a human named Chad Kultgen.
And, with all due respect to Chad Kultgen, his is no George Carlin. That really showed in the special.
Also, fuck Chad Kultgen for thinking he could match Carlin’s brilliance or even the capability of a non-human AI.
Now, this complication isn’t going to stop the lawsuit. If anything, it might strengthen the case of Carlin’s estate because it makes this special a much clearer violation of illegally using someone’s likeness or brand for promotional purposes. It might even raise to the level of fraud by claiming to be the product of an AI, but was actually just some guy trying to write a special and using George Carlin’s likeness to sell it.
And, regardless of how you feel about the legal implications here, that’s still a dick move. I can’t imagine that makes this any less difficult for Kelly Carlin or the rest of the Carlin family.
But, based on what we now know in wake of this lawsuit, the only thing AI was used for in making this special was to create the not-so-compelling voice that delivered this human-made script and the images included within the video. In terms of capabilities, that’s not a very impressive use of AI. If anything, that makes this special even less impressive.
One of my biggest criticisms of it was that it sounded nothing like Carlin in terms of tone and style. Considering that there are many existing AI tools right now that can closely mirror the voices of celebrities, this just makes the creators of this special seem cheap and lazy. But the script being entirely human-written does help add another important perspective.
As impressive as AI is at the moment, it is a long way from fooling anyone that it could mimic the nuance or mannerisms of a human, let alone one as special as George Carlin. I do wonder if those behind this special actually tried, but quickly realized it couldn’t be done. I also wonder if maybe someone who is even more unscrupulous will actually try again at some point, possibly with better AI tools.
If they do, then this lawsuit becomes even more important. Because the law tends to move much slower than technology. And if AI continues to advance, then incidents like this will become more common. For now, only time will tell what this will mean for the future of AI and those it impacts, living or dead.
Filed under AI Art, Artificial Intelligence, funny, technology
Why NOBODY Should Ever Be As Famous As Michael Jackson
This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
In this video, I explore the world of fame, fortune, and celebrity. And for people of a certain age, none achieved more of that than Michael Jackson. While his legacy in the annuls of pop culture might be a bit mixed these days, it’s hard to overstate just how big an icon he was.
But as monumental a figure he might have been, I strongly believe that NOBODY should ever be as famous as him ever again. That kind of fame might not even be possible anymore. But I feel it’s worth revisiting. Enjoy!
Filed under Celebrities and Celebrity Culture, Jack's World, music, psychology, YouTube
Jack’s Comic Gems | Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel
This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This is video another entry in my ongoing “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And in this gem, I highlight a comic centered around the Lex Luthor, the arch nemesis to Superman and an unapologetic villain by which so many are measured.
For much of his history, Lex Luthor has been fairly transparent in his motivations. He HATES Superman. He hates everything he represents and embodies. He is, by every measure, a self-centered narcissist who believes himself to be superior to everyone on Earth.
But this story, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, manages to add some depth to Lex’s villainy. However, it doesn’t try to make him more sympathetic. It doesn’t even try to vindicate or justify all the awful things that he does. Instead, it helps us understand what makes this man tick and it’s definitely a story worth checking out. Enjoy!
Filed under DC Comics, Jack's World, superhero comics, YouTube
An AI Version Of George Carlin Just Released A Comedy Special (And That’s Disturbing)
There are certain celebrities and pop culture icons that we tend to appreciate more after they’ve passed away. Like everyone else, they too must face death at some point in their illustrious lives. And when they do, all the work they did becomes inherently more precious because it is now finite. There can be nothing new added to their body of work. It’s as set as the strongest bedrock. It might be upsetting to many fans, but it’s just a fact of life.
Then, artificial intelligence comes along and suddenly, there’s a crack in that bedrock.
Even as someone who has closely followed and written about artificial intelligence for years, I did not see this coming. And it took a form I never would’ve expected.
Recently, a couple of comedians utilizing an unspecified AI created an hour-long comedy special featuring the late, great George Carlin. That “special,” and I use that term loosely, is currently on YouTube right now. For reasons that I hope are understandable, I’m not going to link to it. Just know that, as of me writing this, it has racked up over 427,000 views and 11,000 likes.
Now, in general, I support the development of artificial intelligence. I still genuinely believe it is the most important technological advancement we could develop as a species. But this particular manifestation of its use has me both concerned and distressed.
For one, George Carlin is my favorite comedian. I would go so far as to call him the single greatest comedian of all time. And that’s an opinion many share. Ask most people who the best comedian of all time is and George Carlin is usually in the top five alongside the likes of Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Rodney Dangerfield, Sam Kinison, and Robin Williams.
To me, George Carlin is the best and there’s no close second. He’s one of those comedians who didn’t just find success over the course of multiple decades. You can still go back and watch his specials from the 1970s and his material is still relevant. His jokes, his style, and his brilliant insights are still on point, as well as hilarious.
George Carlin really was a one-of-a-kind artist, comedian, and philosopher. And when he passed away in 2008, his death hit a lot harder than most. But his legacy has only strengthened in that time as more people discover or re-discover his comedy. But this AI version of him is sure to complicate that legacy and for all the wrong reasons.
For one, this “special” was done without permission, review, or compensation to George Carlin’s family. His daughter, Kelly Carlin, has gone on record as stating that she did not authorize this, let alone receive compensation for it. This was not an instance of a celebrity willingly licensing their voice or likeness to a company, as James Earl Jones did with Disney in 2022. This was done without any consideration whatsoever for how Carlin’s family might react to this or what it might do to his legacy.
As for the special itself, I do admit I have listened to it. And I can confirm that it sounds nothing like George Carlin. The voice sounds like a terrible impersonation of George that someone half-drunk would try to do on a five-dollar bar bet. I promise nobody is ever going to mistake the voice in this “special” for George Carlin. I don’t know if that’s by design or just a limit of the current technology.
But with regards to the actual substance, this is where it gets even more distressing. Because in many instances, there are jokes and comments that actually sounds like something Carlin would say. Yes, they lack his distinct delivery, tone, and mannerisms. But many of his comments on politics, pop culture, people, and society really do feel like they might come up in a real special.
That said, there are also instances where it says things Carlin probably wouldn’t say. There’s nothing too egregious. He never says anything that sounds so out-of-character that it’s jarring. But it’s also clear that the content was edited. There are distinct breaks in the audio that indicate someone edited this to sound more refined. That leads me to believe that, whatever AI was used to make this definitely conjured some content that would’ve been too obviously out-of-character.
I’ll even go so far as to say that there are some parts of the special that are funny. It still doesn’t resonate as well as one of Carlin’s classic comedy specials. But there are jokes in this special that probably will make some people laugh. It’s not entirely clear if those jokes were purely the product of the AI or if those behind it tweaked the language. But the humor is there.
Be that as it may, just listening to a small part of this special feels off. Beyond just sounding painfully synthetic, it establishes a precedent that the estates of other dead celebrities would be wise to consider. Because George Carlin isn’t the only one with a long catalog of comedy, writings, interviews, and movie credits.
Who’s to say that an AI like this won’t do the same for Robin Williams or Richard Pryor? It wouldn’t even be restricted to comedians, either. The works of musicians like John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Prestly could also be used to create entirely new songs that might sound eerily similar to something they might have created.
If that happens, what does it do to their legacy? What happens if an AI creates something in the mold of a dead celebrity that says or does something outrageous, offensive, or detrimental? What would it do to their legacy? What would it do to their still-living families?
I honestly can’t imagine how someone like Kelly Carlin must feel hearing a poor imitation of her dead father. But I can easily imagine other celebrity heirs or estates willingly licensing their dead relatives to make extra money somehow.
It could mean we’ll be seeing more strange, distressing content like this in the coming years. And as AI technology continues to improve, it will likely get to a point where it’s so capable that it’s almost too believable. I don’t claim to know what kind of world that might create or lead to. I just know that “specials” like this won’t stop with George Carlin.
Filed under AI Art, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, technology
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