RE: https://mastodon.art/@MicroSFF/114149050576447349

** Reposting this story I wrote last year
#GnuTerryPratchett
**

Yes, the #EU has a lot of regulations.

But remember that thanks to those regulations you can use a single USB-C cable that can charge anything, rather than 10 different connectors and adapters as it was common until 10-15 years ago.

Remember that it’s thanks to those regulations if you no longer have to pay eye watering roaming fees for calls and data when you travel to other EU countries, as it was common until 5-10 years ago.

Remember that it’s thanks to those regulations if big tech has at least some constraints onto what it can do with your data and how much choice you have as a customer.

Remember that it’s thanks to those regulations if you, as a EU citizen, can benefit from the services of any other embassy of any other EU country if stranded abroad.

Those who try to depict the EU as a bureaucratic hell worth dismantling are those who hate the impact that its laws have on their freedom of exploiting markets, exploiting customers or living out of rent money.

Or those who hate the combined economic and political power of a united Europe with a single market because it threatens their national interests, and they’d rather exert their leverage with a bunch of divided and weaker countries instead.

Europe isn’t perfect and a lot can be improved. But those who call for its demise DO NOT talk in your interests.

Had an "Fundamentals of <AI tool>" course at work, given by someone from the AI tool provider.

A lot of emphasis on having to double check output: "It's like asking a junior colleague, who might misunderstand you, or need more context, so you must check they got it right."

There was also a bullet point to the effect that you can ask it to give results in simple language, or academic language, or in the style of an author. So I asked if this meant the model had been trained on a given author's books, and if they'd been compensated.

The answer was evasive, but they did say that the provider would defend any copyright infringement lawsuits we as corporate users might be hit with.

Uh--huh.

"Will there be treasure in this dungeon?"

"I'm sure there are some silver candlesticks, but we're after the library."

"Books again? Last time we almost died just so you could read the final volume in the Nightraid Saga."

"This is the library and archive of the Dungeon Builder's Guild."

"Oh? Oh!"

#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"I see you have a new sword," the swordmaster said. "May I have a look?"

"No," said the student. "It is a cursed blade. I would only draw this in dire need."

"What kind of curse? Must draw blood, or will betray you?"

"It will speak, and tell an embarrassing truth about both wielder and opponent."

#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

here’s a worked example of why nobody believes firefox’s AI kill switch will be anything but a marketing wedge

these showed up in my File menu, displacing the New Private Window item and fucking up my muscle memory, in spite of having browser.ml.enabled set to false. the setting for this is a new nonsensically named option, extensions.ml.enabled. a merry fuck you to the guys who showed up in my replies telling me to just disable the config flag I already disabled months ago.