Monthly Archives: September 2024

Howard the Avenger

I’d run across mention that Howard the Duck makes an appearance in the “Avengers Assemble” scene in Endgame. Tonight, I finally tracked it down to see for myself.

He’s visible for just a second, right after The Wasp makes her appearance and immediately before the camera cuts to Thor. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1bSmAsswg0&t=92s

And then, since I was already headed down the rabbit hole, I went and watched the movie. Lea Thompson was as cute as I remember, but … yeah, this wasn’t one of Marvel’s best movies.

Goth Flamingos?

Spotted this ad recently and was left scratching my head. I have no idea what a “Sunsquabi Doomflamingo” is, but all I can think of is that it must be some sort of Flamingo Goth Band.

Based on a Google Search, it seems this was a music event and those are the names of two bands.

No doubt they’re a lovely couple of bands, but I can’t get rid of the “Goth Flamigno” mental image.

Photo Credit: Cover image generated by Google’s Gemini in response to the prompt “Goth Flamingos.” Here’s the un-cropped image.

Goth Flamingos

AI going to the Dogs

Silly questions come up from time to time. Like that time my friend Anna asked “How many watermelons would it take to equal the volume of the moon?” and I decided to figure it out. (Answer: A lot)

Tonight, I came across an exchange between my brothers D and S where they were talking about a sonnet D had written about dogs.

S: Did you write this or was it ChatGPT?
D: Can ChatGPT even do sonnets?
S: No idea….

I thought it was pretty good, and I don’t doubt that D. wrote it himself.

But this raises a good question. Can ChatGPT do sonnets? I decided to find out. And just for good measure, I decided to ask some other chat bots to write about dogs.

It is, of course, left for the reader to decide whether this is pure doggerel or something verse

Chat GPT

Prompt: Write a brief sonnet about dogs.

Faithful and true, they stand by our side,
With eyes aglow and hearts forever bright,
In every joy and sorrow, they abide,
A loyal presence through the day and night.

Their paws leave prints in earth, but more in hearts,
A silent comfort when the world feels cold,
In playful bounds or tender, quiet parts,
Their simple love is worth more than pure gold.

With wagging tails, they greet the morning sun,
And in their gaze, a joy that never wanes.
In every bark, a friendship just begun,
Their love flows freely, free of human chains.

Oh dogs, companions true through every stride,
In you, we find the love that can’t be denied.

Llama 3.1 latest

Prompt: In the style of Doctor Seuss, write a brief paragraph about dogs.

The dog is quite a wonderful sight,
With wagging tails and joyful delight.
They romp and they run with abandon free,
Their love for play is plain to see.
Their snouts sniff out treats with glee,
And their barks are a symphony, you’ll see!
From big to small, from old to new,
Dogs bring us cheer, that’s what they do!

Gemma 2 27b

Prompt: In the style of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, write a short paragraph about dogs.

Don’t Panic. Dogs. Those furry bundles of boundless enthusiasm and questionable hygiene are arguably the third most intelligent species in the galaxy (after dolphins and Vogons, naturally). Don’t let their love for belly rubs and drool fool you; they possess an uncanny ability to understand human emotions and respond accordingly, often with slobbery kisses and enthusiastic tail wags. Their primary function, according to the Guide, is “to provide unconditional love and companionship, while simultaneously reminding you that there is a universe outside of your own existential angst.”

And yes, they do tend to eat socks. Just don’t ask why. The answer is far too complicated for even the most powerful supercomputer to comprehend.