Weekly output: Virginia tax filing, Android 16, Disney and Universal v. Midjourney

After three weeks in a row of traveling for work, my only business travel this week was across the Potomac to a series of events and conferences in the District. But Monday morning will have me once again boarding a flight–I’m off to Mexico City to cover Electronics Home Mexico, a tech trade show in its first year that decided to cover the travel costs of a small group of invited U.S. journalists and analysts. I’ll disclose that subsidy in any copy I file from there.

6/9/2025: Fifteen years after shuttering its tax-prep app, Va. may be ready to compete with TurboTax again, Virginia Mercury

I’ve come to rely on this nonprofit newsroom’s coverage of my state, and now I’ve contributed to it with a piece covering a case of crony capitalism that I decried in the Washington Post in 2010 and then revisited there in 2020. I’m glad to have some good news to report, but even in a best-case scenario I’m looking at a few more years of filing state income taxes on paper.

6/10/2025: Android 16 Arrives With Stronger Security, Neater Notifications, Smaller Tweaks, PCMag

Six-plus months after I wrote about the first developer preview of Android 16, this operating-system update is out and available for download to my Pixel 9 Pro. I may hold off until next weekend to install it, because none of this release’s new features seem like must-have-now material.

6/11/2025: Disney, Universal Sue Midjourney for Creating ‘Bottomless Pit of Plagiarism’, PCMag

Writing about this copyright-infringement lawsuit was more amusing than I expected, in part because of how Disney and Universal’s complaint teems with dry descriptions of the characters allegedly copied by Midjourney. Here, for example, is its overview of Homer Simpson: “is a loveable goof with a penchant for donuts, wears blue pants with a white top, and has two signature strands of hair.”

#AIImageGeneration #android #Android16 #copyright #Disney_ #ElectronicsHomeMexico #generativeAI #HomerSimpson #Intuit #MexicoCity #Midjourney #Pixel #VirginiaForm760 #VirginiaIFile #VirginiaTaxes

I ask ChatGPT to draw Jane Sillybottom

I was bored, so I asked ChatGPT to draw Jane Sillybottom. This is what happened.

Hi chat, are you aware of the fictional therapist Jane Sillybottom from matrixdreams.com?

Yes, I’m aware of the fictional character Jane Sillybottom from matrixdreams.com. She is a satirical creation by blogger Matthew Brown, also known as Lord Matt. Jane Sillybottom is portrayed as a deliberately inept and whimsical agony aunt, characterized by her air-headedness and obsession with socks. This persona was crafted using ChatGPT and prompt engineering to embody a comically ineffective advice columnist. In one of the blog posts, she engages in a humorous exchange with another fictional character, Baron Booksworth IV, resulting in a delightfully absurd dialogue between two eccentric personalities .

Jane Sillybottom is part of Matthew Brown’s broader creative endeavors, which include various fictional and experimental projects. These works often explore the boundaries of AI-assisted storytelling and satire, offering readers a blend of humor and imaginative narratives.

Side note: It sounds like ChatGPT is a fan of my silliness

Wonderful. I would love for you to take a shot at creating a new picture of Jane Sillybottom.

I’d love to help! Before I generate the image, could you describe how you imagine Jane Sillybottom looks?

Jane has blond hair cut in a “bob style”. She wears non-discript pasle coloured clothes and loves over the top hats. She is generically young-ish but her exact age is vague. She is old enough to have written at least 9 books and started two small businesses. She is usually pictured holding a comically oversized teapot. The only (AI generated) image of here can be found here: https://matrixdreams.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Hotpot.png

Side note: Chat had trouble loading the image. I added it here for completeness.

Thanks for the details! Since the image link isn’t currently loading, I’ll proceed based on your description. Here’s how I’ll envision Jane Sillybottom:

• Expression: Slightly absent-minded but kind
• Hair: Blonde, bob-cut
• Clothing: Nondescript pastel-colored attire, vaguely professional
• Accessories: A ridiculously extravagant hat and a comically oversized teapot
• Age: Young-ish adult, vaguely late 30s to early 40s, with the confidence of someone accomplished

That’s pretty good. Could you make her look happy?

Not gonna lie, I’m quite impressed with this Jane Sillybottom Image. I’m tempted to start using it as the default one.

Thoughts?

#AIImageGeneration #betterThanIExpected #ChatGPT

Recraft Lands $30M Series B for AI Image Generator Focused on Brand Control

#AI #Recraft #GenAI #AIImageGeneration #Funding #VentureCapital #Startups #TechNews #AIArt #Branding

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/05/06/recraft-lands-30m-series-b-for-ai-image-generator-focused-on-brand-control-xcxwbn/

OpenAI Unlocks GPT-4o Image Generation for Developers via API

#OpenAI #API #AIImageGeneration #AI #GPT4o #GenAI #DevTools #AIsafety #C2PA #MultimodalAI #gptimage1

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/04/24/openai-unlocks-gpt-4o-image-generation-for-developers-via-api-xcxwbn/

Midjourney Launches Highly Anticipated V7 AI Image Generation Model

#AI #GenAI #AIArt #MidjourneyV7 #Midjourney #AIImageGeneration #CreativeAI

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/04/04/midjourney-launches-highly-anticipated-v7-image-generation-model-xcxwbn/

How to Make Ghibli-Style Images for Free Using ChatGPT in 2025

https://www.byteswifts.com/2025/04/how-to-make-ghibli-style-images-free-chatgpt-2025.html

#GhibliStyle #AIArt #ChatGPT #StudioGhibli #AnimeArt #DigitalArt #AIImageGeneration #GhibliInspired #Miyazaki #AIAnimation #FreeAIArt #ArtWithAI #FantasyArt #AIArtist #MachineLearning #GhibliAesthetic #AIIllustration #AnimeLovers #AnimeAesthetic #ChatGPTArt #HandDrawnStyle #GhibliMovies #CreativeAI #TechAndArt #DigitalIllustration #AnimeStyle #FantasyIllustration #AITransformation

OpenAI has added GPT-4o image generation to ChatGPT, allowing users to create, edit, and refine AI-generated images directly within the chat interface.

#OpenAI #ChatGPT #GPT4o #AIImageGeneration #GenAI

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/03/25/openai-adds-gpt-4o-image-generation-mode-with-interactive-editing-xcxwbn/