GammaGlobulin

With minimal facetiousness, and as I have repeatedly and clearly stated here during past months, I would most gladly bury my smartphones, if only I could do mobile banking any other way. The PC apps offered by my local banks are very clunky to set up. And so, it was the need for mobile banking access that finally pushed me to buy the new Samsung A55 5G, which, by the way, also has 12 GB of RAM. A fine and CHEAP phone, might I add, which is not offered in the USA, and who is not able to guess why. Samsung offers this phone outside the US, I guess, because Americans are VERY RICH, and we over here are poor, by comparison. Poor in terms of useless material things, but not poor in spirit, unlike the Americans, as you must also know..... Conclusion: I happen to agree with you that I should bury my phone, or let the cat do it for me, if it were not for Mobile BANKING..... I am also not that worried about 5G security, but only for me, since I have never felt the need for security. Thailand is a very safe place, if one does not drink and drive, or drink and wander around Pattaya, late at night, while insulting others. You might be interested to know that I keep my phone in a cardboard box, most times. This helps me to stop staring at my phone, every few seconds, as is typical behavior for most others, these days. I enjoy my LINUX computers, above all. These days, I would say that one of the few pleasures in life using Linux on all my devices, other than the Samsung phone. ======================== Something strange have I noticed recently....just below the 5G icon. There exists these two arrows, one UP arrow and one DOWN arrow. And, very often, these up and down arrows blink, and blink. I can only assume that this signifies data going up and down. So then, what data keeps going up and down to the cloud? Is my phone CALLING HOME, or something? This is my guess. These arrows never seem to stop blinking. ===================== You might recall that Carly Simon was one of the first to sing a great song about going Up and Down.... Up and Down Up and Down..... One thing is for sure: If you listen to this song..... You will be hearing it in your head for about.... The next entire week. So, sorry for this. ====================== But, anyway... Here is the UP and DOWN song, sung by Joni Mitchell, one of my favorite artists.... UP and DOWN.... UP and DOWN.... UP and DOWN... Hard to forget......it....... =============== No way that Simon could hold a candle to Mitchell....of course.

When you speak in hyperbole, such as this, I find it difficult to take you seriously. In my view, the REAL "Day of Infamy", was this one: I am OK with Trump, as he is, today. However, I would never have another GF, as long as I live. By comparison, Trump is much easier to take than even one more GF. And I say this, honestly, and absolutely not hyperbolically.

Yes, I have grown to depend upon Chump's advice, more and more. In fact, he has now told me to bury my new Samsung in my backyard. However, I might not actually need to bury it myself because: There is this neighborhood cat which visits me once per day, to bury its droppings in the same place, in my backyard. Such a fastidious cat, it is, and it always buries its droppings without a trace. I might just use the same spot, and place the phone in plain site, where the cat will notice it, and bury it, as it goes about its normal daily business. These smartphones cause more trouble then they are worth, IMHO. They eat up money which might be better spent. And, they rot our brains, among other negative effects. Seems like just yesterday, we all were far happier....without them. Still, smartphones will not last forever. Someday, smartphones will become to us like the 8-track Tape Cartridges of yesteryear.

OK. It's not on, now.

This happened to me, too. TERRIBLE. Why do they do this? It's almost as if they are trying to antagonize a good customer. This happened with a Samsung phone I purchased recently. Worst experience of my life.

Dear Folks, I am not exactly sure if I SHOULD be happy; but I AM happy. As you will no-doubt recall, I had been using a NOTE4 for many years, until I switched to a budget Samsung, the A5-5G, which I am rather pleased to be using now. For some reason, the 5G-Icon has only recently showed up on my phone, probably either yesterday, or today, since I have not really been paying much attention. What do you think this might mean for someone like me, one who rarely uses my phone for much, except texting on WeChat or Line? Probably, it will not mean much to me, except to make me feel happy, for a day or two. Do you have access to 5G where you are? Does it really make that much of a difference? I am using AIS and DTAC services, with two SIMS installed in this phone. Someday, maybe, if I ever leave my compound, I might have use for faster mobile connection speeds, but not now. Every year, we have something new to look forward to. And, this New Year, I have been blessed by seeing this 5G-icon suddenly appear on my phone. So, yes, I am happy. Still, 5G will not really make me that happy. I just hope I live long enough to have 6G show up on my phone, in the very near future, and before I die. Some say that 5G will help to extend battery life. I hope so. What else can it do? Do you know? If you want a decent phone, one that is very cheap, might I suggest this A5-5G Samsung, with 256GB of internal storage, and room to add up to 1TBytes of MicroSD storage. This thing is quite well built, for such a cheap phone. I would say that Samsung has provided me with a real winner. Although, NOTE4 still remains my all-time favorite phone, except for my older.... Samsung Galaxy S3, which was even more amazing for its time. Best regards, Gamma

No, because actually, my statement, and my view, was based on Sam being the guy that he truly is: Typical megalomaniacal thinking, on Sam's part. Those who fail to gain a higher level of formal education, for whatever reason, tend to denigrate what they failed to obtain. Sam reminds me, much, of Elizabeth Holmes, in fact. He does not know just how much he does not know. And, he is a charlatan of the first order, same as Liz....

Absolutely...NOT.... The very last thing I would want would be to be placed in a position where i would need to decide anything of major import. I have a hard enough time, as it is, just deciding if I might have omelettes for breakfast, or tuna. My concern is that there are not enough thinking individuals present, these days, who are able to see through the garbage-thinking being flogged to the world, by guys like Sam and Zuckerberger. Both are dropouts from uni. Have they even read books? Seems, from their views, that they have not. The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of such a small group as these will not help our world. These guys, after all, have never been vetted by any democratic process. They do what they like. And, they do not care what we like. And some, no doubt, are sociopaths and even psychopaths. It's gonna be ENRON, all over again, but times 100!!!!! Note: Sam's choice of a TUX for the formal affair at the White House is simply atrocious ...... My, Grandma, what BIG shoulders you have...... note2: In days gone by, guys at IBM would never have been caught DEAD in a getup like that!!!! note3: Do we really want our world to be so warped and affected by a small bunch of nitwit coders, who have unfortunately become billionaires?

Yes. Completely agree. Also, was it actually BIDEN that did this? Or, does he even know about this?

I totally agree that, at our advanced age, one needs to watch from afar....major catastrophes such as that being created by Sam. Sam's AI cannot save the Earth from global warming. Yet, Sam is also not powerful enough to destroy the Earth. Hopefully, someday soon, the investors will see the light and offload this unschooled mad-tinkerer.

Yes. Must be NEWSPEAK, or something, because.... OPEN-AI is anything BUT open. This is the real reason Musk is so anti-"OpenAI", doubtless.... Also, with such a powerful non-transparent AI org, this does not bode well for democracy, or clear thinking, or much of anything else which most of us consider key to a strong democracy. And, democracy is really the only form of government that makes sense....at least to the majority of world citizens.

One very real concern, just in my very humble opinion, is that Sam, and those like Sam, who seem to lack wisdom, might gain or have access to too much power and control over what we see, what read, what we search, and how AI interprets and offer-up what we search. Sort of like having an unschooled child running the NYT and the Washington Post, the Guardian, and other rages, all rolled into one. Do we really want this much power concentrated in the hands of just a few human nitwits? It is not AI that is the problem. It is more the fact that there are too few nitwits with hands on the levers of AI....and with.... ZERO Transparency.

Hydrant

Here is what we care about, even at MIT: https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/28/1104588/sorry-ai-wont-fix-climate-change/ And here is what we DO NOT care about, even at the White House: https://www.newsweek.com/sam-altman-partner-oliver-mulherin-open-ai-1922107 Interesting that one of this pair worked for META, for two years. Not much of a recommendation, some might say. So then....who is guiding progress on AI in the USA? And, is China happy....VERY happy about this state of affairs???? I guess we all remember....PHILBY

From what I have been able to glean during the past few years through selected readings, it would seem that Musk regards his selection of Sam Strange-LOVE at being one of the worst decisions Musk has made during Musk's illustrious rise to fame and power. I happen to like Musk, muchly. I also share Musk's detest for Strange-LOVE, or I should say his detest for the views and goals of this woman. Musk, as we have been told, wanted an OPEN AI project, which is why he first funded OPENAI. Sam Strange-LOVE sold out, and invited in the likes of MS, and other investors. Now, things are way out of control, and way different from Musk's original vision. No doubt, Musk believes that his decision a few years ago to be one of his worst. People like Sam have way too much power, and although he might be some-what intelligent in one area, he is no thinker. The question is... How to control those of Sam's ilk? It must be done. But how? Sam is a prepper, it seems. He probably believes that he can escape our fate, when the world turns even more to garbage, and when organized human civilization becomes a thing of the past. Sam, and nutcases like him, are not good for the world. He must go, if the rest of us are to survive. Put him out to pasture with nothing more powerful than a first-gen Iphone....is one solution. Nobody will miss him. The world will be far better off.

Sorry, but I must reveal the true impetus driving my posting of this Topic: Sometimes, super smart guys are still extremely warped in their thinking, and rarely understand plain common sense. For example, let's take Teller and LeMay, why don't we? a. Teller (Dr. Strangelove) b. Curtis LeMay needs no intro here. He is rather infamous, already. c. Sam (Another Dr. Strangelove?) What really makes Sammy Run? If one could see into the Sam's Psyche, then I am sure everyone would shudder in horror. These guys need to be controlled and constrained, for the Good of Mankind!!!! Ignore this Topic at our collective peril. I believe I can see into Sam, more than most.

Obviously, the most important implied question of this Topic is: Do the members of TV actually believe that it is safe and advisable to have .... So MUCH Compute Power concentrated in the hands of one individual, especially when said individual.... a. Croaks like a Toad, and... b. is basically uneducated in the broader sense of the term... c. And, is so out of touch with the REAL WORLD????? Well, do we???????

Not necessarily, because, one should be able to point out that Sam is very poorly educated. He has no sense of perspective, which is what a proper education is intended to instill..... Just saying...the guy's views spring of basic ignorance about the more important things in life. Also, he croaks like a frog, making it impossible for anyone to listen to him for more than two seconds. Nobody likes him. And he wonders why. Randy Newman needs to write a song about him....for sure!!!!! We need to take back power from the likes of Sam.... Before the world is completely doomed to nitwittery..... Just saying.....

Dear Folks, Listening to Sam speak, one might believe that he has a throat problem, as well as other problems related to his running of the company that tried to get rid of him, yet could not. So, is Sam really a woman? Why does he croak like a frog, intentionally, otherwise? Vocal fry is not a disease. It might be due to laziness. Would it be too much trouble for Sam to speak like a human being, instead of a frog? Here is a video where Sam croaks away, without saying much: How many more months, or years, will we need to have this guy around? Also, when he is croaking, do you believe anything this guy says? He needs to go. Musk created a monster when he hired Sam...don't you think? The only one stranger than Sam might be Zuckerberger. These guys are just way too out of touch with reality, and with other human beings. And, they are given way too much power. How to take back control from these guys? Musk cannot stand them, either, or so we are told. Regards, Gamma

The bird here, by my measurement, was 115 per minute. But, he might have been having an off day. Sure he could do 121, if he tried.

No, not that one. The video is a different bird call, altogether. The Bleeping Bird makes loud BEEPS or HOOTS, at the rate of TWO per SECOND.

Sounds about right. However, just making this sound seems so tiring. And, it never rests. Should be louder though. The ones in CM are much louder.

Sample of One: a. One person b. One table Total of Two

So then.... This Topic is NOT nonsense..... Right?

Dear Fellow Gourmands, Why is there no Costco here? I once shopped and spent much at Costco, Taiwan. So why no Costco here? In the past, I enjoyed Costco meats and Costco cheese, while living in Taipei. Would it be such a terrible thing to have a Costco in a few cities such as CM and BKK? Would it? So then, why no Costco here? https://www.eatlikenoone.com/costco-pork-guide.htm Anybody know? This is not Africa or South America or the Soviet Union,....is it? Therefore, do we not deserve a Costco nearby? When one has a Costco, then one seldom goes. But when one has no Costco, then, Lord knows, We miss this retailer. Would you shop at Costco? And, if you did, then what would you buy? I am not doing a marketing-survey or anything. Just curious. Regards, Gamma Note: This is what life is REALLY about…… Or… Do you disagree with me…. Again?