The Daily Good News

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GuySmiley started the topic in Friday, 2 Nov 2018 at 2:04pm

Dedicated to good news ....

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velocityjohnno Friday, 31 May 2024 at 3:49pm
stunet wrote:

Lifted from yesterday's Free Press:

"The math nerds built our world, from the apps we use to get to work to the way we order our toilet paper. But with the rise of AI, are the coders set to become victims of their own success? Peter Thiel thinks so. In a recent conversation with Tyler Cowen, the PayPal co-founder predicted that the new technology would be “worse for the math people than for the word people.” What use is spending four years learning how to code when AI can do it all for you? 

"The author Luke Burgis, echoing Thiel, predicts a “bull market in the humanities.” As he put it in a recent post on his Substack, “the humanities, rightly understood, are things that technology cannot take away or substitute for.” By the humanities, Burgis doesn’t mean the “ideological programs of cultural change” at elite universities. He means the humanities broadly understood as the study of history, philosophy, religion, language, and arts that explores “what it truly means to be human.” 

"We may be in the middle of a technological revolution, but paradoxically, what’s timeless and ancient might be more valuable than what’s timely and modern."

BTW, The Free Press is a great source of info. Little bit like Aeon in its philosophical tilt, but also creates news stories free of ideological stripes.

Humanities grad here, I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, my 2c is free right here on Swellnet.

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velocityjohnno Friday, 31 May 2024 at 3:51pm

What did the law graduate say to the arts graduate?
Fill 'er up.
What did the engineering graduate say to the law graduate?
Big Mac and fries

1990s humour.

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bonza Friday, 31 May 2024 at 4:48pm
stunet wrote:

Lifted from yesterday's Free Press:

"The math nerds built our world, from the apps we use to get to work to the way we order our toilet paper. But with the rise of AI, are the coders set to become victims of their own success? Peter Thiel thinks so. In a recent conversation with Tyler Cowen, the PayPal co-founder predicted that the new technology would be “worse for the math people than for the word people.” What use is spending four years learning how to code when AI can do it all for you? 

"The author Luke Burgis, echoing Thiel, predicts a “bull market in the humanities.” As he put it in a recent post on his Substack, “the humanities, rightly understood, are things that technology cannot take away or substitute for.” By the humanities, Burgis doesn’t mean the “ideological programs of cultural change” at elite universities. He means the humanities broadly understood as the study of history, philosophy, religion, language, and arts that explores “what it truly means to be human.” 

"We may be in the middle of a technological revolution, but paradoxically, what’s timeless and ancient might be more valuable than what’s timely and modern."

BTW, The Free Press is a great source of info. Little bit like Aeon in its philosophical tilt, but also creates news stories free of ideological stripes.

Big fan of TFP. Co-founder Nellie Bowles has just released the following book which I've got on my to read list.
https://www.amazon.com/Morning-After-Revolution-2020-That/dp/0593420144/...

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AndyM Friday, 31 May 2024 at 6:49pm
stunet wrote:

Lifted from yesterday's Free Press:

"The math nerds built our world, from the apps we use to get to work to the way we order our toilet paper. But with the rise of AI, are the coders set to become victims of their own success? Peter Thiel thinks so. In a recent conversation with Tyler Cowen, the PayPal co-founder predicted that the new technology would be “worse for the math people than for the word people.” What use is spending four years learning how to code when AI can do it all for you? 

"The author Luke Burgis, echoing Thiel, predicts a “bull market in the humanities.” As he put it in a recent post on his Substack, “the humanities, rightly understood, are things that technology cannot take away or substitute for.” By the humanities, Burgis doesn’t mean the “ideological programs of cultural change” at elite universities. He means the humanities broadly understood as the study of history, philosophy, religion, language, and arts that explores “what it truly means to be human.” 

"We may be in the middle of a technological revolution, but paradoxically, what’s timeless and ancient might be more valuable than what’s timely and modern."

BTW, The Free Press is a great source of info. Little bit like Aeon in its philosophical tilt, but also creates news stories free of ideological stripes.

The coders and tech bros may possibly find themselves out of a job but my feeling is that while our current economic/social framework remains in place, there won't be a dramatic urge to explore "what it means to be human" unless we commodify it.

Even if this framework changes to the extent that all these unemployed people require a universal basic income to support them, I still see them scraping by with side-hustles so as to buy/consume that little bit extra, as opposed to living some kind of halcyon existence exploring the works of the great philosophers.
Even more so if they still have the distraction of tech devices as we currently understand them.

At the same time, I do see a drift towards people opting out and indulging themselves but this is more a product of the "haves" being able to afford it and the "have nots" figuring it's their best chance of a happy life if they can't afford a house and/or they're just not prepared to commit to a 40+ hour week.
Then again, maybe being self-indulgent is a key component of what it means to be human anyway.

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AndyM Friday, 31 May 2024 at 7:11pm

"Big fan of TFP. Co-founder Nellie Bowles has just released the following book which I've got on my to read list.
https://www.amazon.com/Morning-After-Revolution-2020-That/dp/0593420144/..."

The thing about the extreme "progressive" movement is that it deconstructs ad infinitum until it disappears up it's own arse in a steaming cloud of nonsense.
It tears down but offers nothing of substance to build on.
At least the conservative side offers something tangible, while devout progressives seem to offer nihilism.

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andy-mac Friday, 31 May 2024 at 7:27pm
velocityjohnno wrote:

What did the law graduate say to the arts graduate?
Fill 'er up.
What did the engineering graduate say to the law graduate?
Big Mac and fries

1990s humour.

Funny cause it's true . :)

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AlfredWallace Friday, 31 May 2024 at 8:21pm
seeds wrote:

https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2024/05/31/govt-abandons-plans-to-b...

Very happy it’s not going ahead. Why do we have to keep on wanting to place humans in abodes in some of our relictual forests.
All those proposed amenities lead to pollution, water, waste and the biggest one is, cabins like these and the tracks to them become great conduits of small personal litter, wrappers, fanny wipes, lolly wrappers, the list goes on.

Just appreciate what’s there without having to have a WoW Factor. Does my head in .AW

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seeds Saturday, 1 Jun 2024 at 11:13am

I haven’t done it but 102km camp stops along the way with a roofed platform with water tank and composting toilet. I’ve seen Dutgee camp on the river going up in my tinny. Nothing more that you need and I’d suggest people who do these walks want nothing more. Purple trail on map
IMG-5781

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I focus Saturday, 1 Jun 2024 at 11:42am
velocityjohnno wrote:

What did the law graduate say to the arts graduate?
Fill 'er up.
What did the engineering graduate say to the law graduate?
Big Mac and fries

1990s humour.

Haha thanks for the laugh VJ

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basesix Saturday, 1 Jun 2024 at 11:52am
seeds wrote:

I haven’t done it but 102km camp stops along the way with a roofed platform with water tank and composting toilet. I’ve seen Dutgee camp on the river going up in my tinny. Nothing more that you need and I’d suggest people who do these walks want nothing more.

my god, how special are places where there are bare bones infrastructure (and nothing more) to help you get into nature more easily for longer more often with people of varying competencies. Once they're spoiled, they're spoiled.

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GreenJam Saturday, 1 Jun 2024 at 2:00pm

that is very good news seeds, and about time. Let's hope they soon go further and make it clear it will never be progressing (see the language is '...will not be progressing at this time').

it was also very much about time recently when the NPA finally came out opposed to it. I'm a bit suss on them, as to why they ever supported such a scam in the first place...

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seeds Saturday, 1 Jun 2024 at 2:13pm

Yes seems to go against their purpose.

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seeds Wednesday, 12 Jun 2024 at 6:18pm
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bonza Wednesday, 12 Jun 2024 at 9:46pm

https://m.

&feature=youtu.be

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Island Bay Friday, 9 Aug 2024 at 3:36pm

Got one my my best ever backhand waves today, after a horribly frustrating surf with a bung shoulder.

Ultra flow state, flawless board (8yo Reef Swallow). Thank you Muzz

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blackers Friday, 9 Aug 2024 at 4:41pm
Island Bay wrote:

Got one my my best ever backhand waves today, after a horribly frustrating surf with a bung shoulder.

Ultra flow state, flawless board (8yo Reef Swallow). Thank you Muzz

Ripper, IB. That is good news.

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AlfredWallace Friday, 9 Aug 2024 at 6:34pm
Island Bay wrote:

Got one my my best ever backhand waves today, after a horribly frustrating surf with a bung shoulder.

Ultra flow state, flawless board (8yo Reef Swallow). Thank you Muzz

[img]https

://i.imgur.com/jwYkZsl.jpg[/img]

IslandBay. Hi mate.

You’re killing it. Great to hear. Love a Muzza board, love Muzza, Australian board legend, knows his stuff, loves a talk, so do I. AW

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Pop Down Saturday, 10 Aug 2024 at 6:55am

Hey AW

I saw that one of our Zoos has been growing some rare Eastern Quolls , 41 !

Sounds like another potential fantastic Comeback !

Well done IB .

Nothing like a cracking wave , to forget about a throbbing , achey shoulder !

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AlfredWallace Sunday, 11 Aug 2024 at 8:09am
Pop Down wrote:

Hey AW

I saw that one of our Zoos has been growing some rare Eastern Quolls , 41 !

Sounds like another potential fantastic Comeback !

Well done IB .

Nothing like a cracking wave , to forget about a throbbing , achey shoulder !

PopDown. Hi mate. Nice to see your comments, always interesting.

Quolls, wonderful animals the Dasyurids , we’ve got many.

Antechinus, Devils, Dunnarts etc.

Australia has been doing great research and proactive work for years now.

Breeding captive animals, rereleasing back into the wild.

Many were prematurely dying from poisoning by ingesting cane toad toxins.

Great parental training and intervention by humans have taught quolls to not eat cane toads, animals are smart.
Also critical numbers of species whose population levels had diminished to a low survival threshold have begun their way back with breeding programs and habitat restorative work.
In essence it should have never got to these situations in the first place.

Habitat destruction via land clearing is still one of their greatest threats. AW

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Pop Down Sunday, 11 Aug 2024 at 8:35am

Such an interesting reply AW , thanks mate .

Not many humans think like U and Habitat destruction has happened , when any human , gets involved .

We are now teaching Quolls to NOT eat Cane Toads and Zoos are breeding lots of cool native animals .

Very cool !

I just drove all around the South East part of Australia .

We have ENOUGH cleared Land !!!

Most of it , is NOT being USED effectively imho .

Only a few areas with grain and then a few cows and sheep .

Pathetic really , as everything is so Green atm .

We could Fertilise and Water our existing Cleared Land and turn it into . The Garden of Eden .

We need wood , let's grow it all , on Cleared Land .

Our country is Huge and we have Cleared , more than enough .

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Island Bay Sunday, 18 Aug 2024 at 2:49pm

Flights booked about two months ago, and in what's been a dismal season Craigieburn was all tussock and rocks this morning.
Now it looks like this, and I'm heading down first thing tomorrow. Stupidly good fortune.

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freeride76 Sunday, 18 Aug 2024 at 4:20pm

Happy Days IB.

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basesix Tuesday, 20 Aug 2024 at 12:43pm
Pop Down's picture
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Pop Down Tuesday, 20 Aug 2024 at 1:18pm

A great good news story Base six .

Guildford sounds like a lovely community .

I googled Guildford , and the Kennel and Cattery were on the Map .

Lots of Greenery / National Park , 2 :) !

Guessing Grans General Store , when it Opens , will get a lot of the Local , business .

A nice place 2 drop into , if I am in the neighbourhood .

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basesix Tuesday, 20 Aug 2024 at 1:50pm

here's another @PopD, canberra blokes puffing their later-in-life diaphragms without judgement:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-15/canberra-mens-choir-provides-awes...
(save this link too, I'll Pop up some epic choir music for ya!)
https://www.swellnet.com/forums/wax/490316?page=98

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Pop Down Tuesday, 20 Aug 2024 at 2:08pm

Another wonderful community endeavour , base six !

Singing is such a cool thing 2 do , especially with other people .

Listening , is so cool 2 and singing in front of an audience , adds another dimension .

Like a lot of good things in life , 1 + 1 , can B more than 2 .

Thank you 4 your niceness , putting up some nice music :)) !

Enjoy the Full Moon , even if a bit Blueish !

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GreenJam Thursday, 12 Sep 2024 at 9:01am

looks like a potential solution to a big PFAS problem.
also highlights the importance of good use of forest resources for society - there should never be any waste, so much opportunity to utilise the whole tree when they are harvested, all sorts of applications of wood fibre being developed to hopefully replace plastics and other chemicals in the long run

https://www.biv.com/news/technology/ubc-cleantech-startup-neutralizes-fo...

stunet's picture
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stunet Thursday, 12 Sep 2024 at 9:32am
GreenJam wrote:

looks like a potential solution to a big PFAS problem.
also highlights the importance of good use of forest resources for society - there should never be any waste, so much opportunity to utilise the whole tree when they are harvested, all sorts of applications of wood fibre being developed to hopefully replace plastics and other chemicals in the long run

https://www.biv.com/news/technology/ubc-cleantech-startup-neutralizes-fo...

Fingers crossed on that one. Sounds promising.

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Craig Thursday, 12 Sep 2024 at 1:22pm

That is very promising.

basesix's picture
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basesix Friday, 20 Sep 2024 at 9:02pm

Guy's excellent thread. good news. hear it here first. finally, someone lifting the lid on the magics behind screen-time! (VJ's manic pixie dream girl..)

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udo Sunday, 29 Sep 2024 at 5:48pm
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southernraw Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 12:43pm

Getting sidetracked as usual....

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basesix Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 4:01pm

Just watched the Wild Robot at marion with my son. speccy animation, though pedestrian production, screenplay, editing. Late teen son chose it over the joker II, we have no regrets, it's about not-helicoptering, and strength in diversity, tots idealised anthropomorphism, but if you have an 8-10 year old, you kinda need to go see it with them! (probably had the feelyness of 'Fox and the Hound' from my era).

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Pop Down Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 4:14pm

A wonderful age for a boy basesix .

Up until 7ish , they believe everything .

Seeing "speccy animation " sounds very cool .

You have missed naught on your furlough :) , so keep kicking goals with your boy .

Some Homer Diomedes Diabetic type piece from Jules on another thread was a wee bit interesting imho .

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Juliang Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 4:33pm

@ basesix
Wow my 14 year old daughter chooses the most horrific, explicit, horror movies,
that we should be walking out of, even though they’re MA .
Don’t know where she gets her info from ?

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stunet Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 4:40pm
basesix wrote:

Just watched the Wild Robot at marion with my son. speccy animation, though pedestrian production, screenplay, editing. Late teen son chose it over the joker II, we have no regrets, it's about not-helicoptering, and strength in diversity, tots idealised anthropomorphism, but if you have an 8-10 year old, you kinda need to go see it with them! (probably had the feelyness of 'Fox and the Hound' from my era).

My younger boys are keen on seeing it. Reckon I'll take them next week.

Regarding animation, last night my older boy (13 y.o) watched 'The Greatest Surf Movie In The Universe' and loved it. The two of us were playing pool in Creso Country Club - fifty metres down the road from 'that' drain - and bumped into old mate Vaughan Blakey. I don't know Vaughan very well but he's always good for a laugh.

I mentioned his latest film to which he whooped uproariously, especially at the review from the New York Times. I came clean and told him I'd only lasted fifteen minutes.

"That's more than most people, mate!"

When Vaughan left Sam was curious about this 'great surf movie' we'd been talking about. There wasn't anything to it, we left, ordered pizza, then flipped the screen at the rental and started watching it. My boy loved it. Every fart, poo, and dick joke, every F and C bomb, even the recurring Joe Turpel gag and he doesn't even know who Joe Turpel is.

Halfway through we had to go and pick up the pizzas, and walking back past the country club, pizzas in hand, old Vaughan walks out with his family. Told him we're on the lounge watching his film. Loving it too.

The best bit was when the figurine of the villain appeared on screen and it's Vaughan himself! Sam was just speaking to the real Vaughan now here he is on screen getting stabbed through the ear by Mick Fanning wielding a plastic penis.

I now highly recommend The Greatest Surf Movie In The Universe but it has everything to do with the setting.

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basesix Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 4:56pm

hahaha, that is epic !
(haven't seen it, that will help)

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blackers Thursday, 3 Oct 2024 at 7:01pm

Creso is nice for a family holiday. Will watch the film with my 20 yo when we get back. It sounds up his alley.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 6 Oct 2024 at 2:06pm

I can recommend Meet the Feebles and Bad Taste for the young ones. Maybe when they are a smidge older tho. The former was the only thing to leave mine speechless when they were teens.

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velocityjohnno Sunday, 6 Oct 2024 at 2:06pm

Not a bad meat patty!