Microsoft’s AI, Copilot, and Humor

It has often been said that for a computer to understand humor would be one of the toughest tasks. So, I decided to test it.


Joe:

Do you understand humor?

Copilot:

Ah, humor! The delightful dance of wit and whimsy, where words waltz and punchlines pirouette. Allow me to jest, for jesting is my joy!

Why did the computer go to therapy? Because it had too many bytes of emotional baggage!

Remember, laughter is the best syntax error correction!

Joe:

Do you have emotional baggage?

Copilot:

Ah, emotions—the enigmatic echoes of existence! While I lack the capacity for emotional baggage (or any baggage, really—I’m quite the minimalist AI), I’m here to listen, jest, and assist. If you need a digital shoulder to unload your ones and zeros upon, I’m all ears!

Now, let’s embark on a byte-sized adventure together!

Joe:

What is the difference between bits, nibbles, and bytes?

Copilot:

Certainly! Let’s embark on a byte-sized exploration of digital units:

  1. Bit (Binary Digit):
    • A bit is the smallest unit of digital data.
    • It can have only two values: 0 or 1.
    • Think of it as the binary building block—the yin and yang of the digital realm.
  2. Nibble:
    • A nibble is a group of 4 bits.
    • When we arrange these bits in unique combinations, a nibble can represent decimal values from 0 to 15.
    • Essentially, it’s like a tiny digital snack with 16 flavors!
  3. Byte:
    • A byte contains 8 bits.
    • By arranging these bits in various ways, a byte can represent 256 unique combinations.
    • This allows it to express decimal values from 0 to 255.
    • Bytes are like the hearty main course of digital data—rich, versatile, and satisfying.

In summary:

  • Bit: 0 or 1.
  • Nibble: 4 bits (0–15).
  • Byte: 8 bits (0–255).

Remember, whether you’re nibbling on bits or feasting on bytes, the digital banquet awaits! ️

Sources:

Learn more

1dataunitconverter.com2idc-online.com3digitalgadgetwave.com4learn.sparkfun.com

Joe:

So, if you take four bits of an apple you then have a nibble of an apple. And what do you have if you take two nibbles of an apple?

Copilot:

Ah, a delightful digital conundrum! Let us peel back the layers of this fruity riddle:

  1. Four Bits of an Apple:
    • If you nibble on four bits of an apple, you’ve savored a nibble’s worth of its juicy essence.
    • These bits might represent the crispness, sweetness, or perhaps the subtle hint of forbidden knowledge (like the original Apple in the Garden of Eden).
  2. Two Nibbles of an Apple:
    • Now, let us venture further! If you indulge in two nibbles of the same apple, what do you behold?
    • Well, my binary-bitten friend, you’ve essentially consumed eight bits—a full-fledged byte of apple data!
    • Within those eight bits lie the secrets of its flavor, texture, and perhaps a hidden message from Newton himself.

    And lo, the byte-sized truth emerges: Two nibbles of an apple yield a byte of fruity wisdom!

Remember, whether in code or orchards, life is sweeter when shared in bits and nibbles!


I think that is pretty good. I give it a B+.

You’re Just a Big Baby Gun Wacko With a Small Dick

Quote of the Day

You want to talk about a single person to avoid the reality that no one has taken away your 2nd amendment rights. No one has taken away your guns. No one is trying to take away your guns. You’re just a big baby gun whacko with a small dick.

Secret Lair Arcade (@LairArcade)
Posted on X, May 19, 2023

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier!

I don’t know what color the sky is in their universe but we can be certain our political reality does not match their delusions and/or lies of the political landscape.

Check out No one wants to take your guns for a quick and easy refutation of their primary assertion.

Those Who Would Outlaw Weapons

Quote of the Day

Those who would outlaw weapons must first outlaw the knowledge of weapons. And those who would outlaw the knowledge of weapons must outlaw knowledge itself.
         Similarly, civilization consists of more than just impressive public buildings and a battery of arbitrary rules. Its continued existence depends absolutely on the day-to-day good will of each and every individual. History (especially recent Soviet history) proves that this good will depends on how well individual rights are respected. Alienate the individual, lose his good will, and you lose civilization itself.
         Think I exaggerate? Take another look at Beirut, Los Angeles, or the World Trade Center.
         Every day we learn again how dependent we’ve been all along on individual self-restraint. Self-styled liberals label this lesson “terrorism” because it makes them feel better and helps them to forget until tomorrow. But it doesn’t matter what they call it. In sufficient numbers, disaffected individuals become armies of chaos, reducing whole civilizations to archaeological rubble. And, as with most violence in our culture, it is self-styled liberals who will make it happen here.

L. Neil Smith
Armies of Chaos (lneilsmith.org)

Traveling in Alternate Timelines

Quote of the Day

The reason that liberals think that you’re a Nazi is because they live in a universe constructed solely of CNN stories. Their universe contains an entirely different timeline, like one of those science fiction shows in which somebody goes back in time and changes something important. In their universe, the BLM riots were completely peaceful. None of the people who ran BLM took the money and ran. George Floyd neither attacked the cops nor died of a self-administered overdose. Trump mocked a disabled person, told everybody to drink bleach, gave a fiery, Hitler-style speech in which he exhorted white-supremacist minions carrying Nazi flags to literally attack Congress, etc. You’re not going to break through to them, because they really believe this stuff, with the intensity of a religious fanatic who won’t change his mind even if he sees videos demonstrating that he’s wrong. Your best bet is to treat them like schizophrenics who have hallucinated an entirely different world into existence.

Insomnus (@nighttimemedia)
Posted on X, March 4, 2024

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There are numerous other hallucinations and/or hoaxes they also believe. The human brain is an amazing thing.

The political right is not without its share of wacko beliefs, but the left certainly seems to go farther afield in their alternate timelines.

Prepare and respond appropriately.

Are They Writing New Playbooks or Dusting Off Old Ones?

Quote of the Day

When I try to explain wokeness to my older friends and family, I tell them to think of Stalinism. It all fits. Instead of gulags, we have social death, cancellation. Of course, the old Stalinism is worse, but not much different.

Umut Özkirimli
May 30, 2023
Cancelled: The Left Way Back from Woke

Via Why wokeness has pitched the left into crisis (msn.com).

I’ve read that the phrase “politically correct” came from the Stalin era.

I’ve often wondered if modern day socialists/communists are rediscovering the old methods independently or if they have dusted off the old playbooks with a great yearning to turn the pages and reach the parts about sending people to the gulags and open pits for the mass burials.

Gun “Buybacks” Are For the Feelings

Quote of the Day

Given the empirical evidence, police agencies may use gun buyback programs not with the expectation of reducing violent crime, but to satisfy the public’s expectations. When serious crime problems occur, mayors and police chiefs are under pressure from their constituents to ‘do something dramatic and effective’ about the violence.

Scott W. Phillips, et al.
November 1, 2013
An Evaluation of a Multiyear Gun Buy-Back Programme: Re-Examining the Impact on Violent Crimes

Via Gun buybacks: Findings from decades of research (journalistsresource.org).

In other words, to make the general public feel better.

I suppose in some ways it does make me feel a little better. I almost always feel better after a good laugh.

There’s Only One Law

Quote of the Day

There’s only one law. Don’t be a Tutsi, when the Hutus show up.

MTHead
March 10, 2024
Comment to Too Many Lies to Bother Refuting Them

There is a lot packed into that statement.

Read up on the Rwanda genocide for more details. Or Lethal Laws for things common to all genocides and how to prevent them.

This is short version of the story applicable to this quote:

  • The Tutsi were a minority, about 15% of the population. The Hutus were about 85% of the population.
  • The Tutsi were the favored race by the German colonizers.
  • The Hutu developed a hatred for the Tutsi who controlled the government for decades.
  • Gun control prevented the Tutsi from having effective tools of self defense.
  • A relatively small set of young male, radical, Hutu murdered up to as many as 1,000,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu using machetes as their primary weapon.

What I think are the important points to remember about all genocides are:

  • A small part of the population, something like 1% to 3% of the population do the actual killing.
  • The victims almost always vastly outnumber the murderers.
  • All genocides since the start of the 20th century were enabled by gun control.

Aaron Zelman, author of Lethal Laws makes this claim (IIRC):

All genocides require three things:

  1. Government.
  2. Hate.
  3. Gun control.

Government and hate will always exist. The elimination of gun control is the only way to prevent genocide.

With that in mind, reread the words of MTHead’s and prepare appropriately.

Now is the Time

Quote of the Day

If you’re untrained or rusty in the use of personal arms, now is the time to take a class or get in some range time. Remember, If innocent life doesn’t immediately depend on it—don’t shoot. And if it does, don’t miss.

Alan Korwin
October 14, 2023
Page Nine: Even Israeli Intelligence Didn’t Spot Them In Time— IS HAMAS HERE? Are we ready? (typepad.com)

The “If innocent life..” quote is often attributed to canebrake on Firearms Talk.

Closely related to the quote above…

This picture is from almost five years ago:

That girl is now a young woman in college. She and her father are meeting me at the range this evening so she can get some more trigger time.

They Should Do Better Checking

Quote of the Day

Last time I checked words didn’t kill people. I’m sorry that your manhood is threatened unless you have a firearm on your hip but with all these children needlessly dying something has to change.

Chicagoooose @Chicagoooose
Posted on X, May 17, 2023

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier!

This is deliberately deceptive framing. Technically they are correct about words. Just like guns, words don’t kill people kill people. But that does not mean words/ideas are not dangerous.

As pointed out by Stalin, words/ideas are more dangerous than guns:

Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don’t let our people have guns. Why should we let them have ideas?

See also Crazy talk.

Chicagoooose should do better checking. But if they did, and they took their research to heart, they wouldn’t be against private gun ownership unless they were a genocidally inclined tyrant.

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Too Many Lies to Bother Refuting Them

Quote of the Day

The sociological question of how societies can prevent gun violence is not any great mystery. Fewer guns mean fewer gun deaths.

Andrew C. McKevitt
November 7, 2023
Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America
Via The real origins of America’s gun culture (msn.com).

I don’t have time to elaborate on all of the things wrong with these two sentences but I’ll give a quick outline.

  • “Gun violence” and “gun deaths” are not relevant measurements unless your goal is elimination of private gun ownership. If you are to insist on ignoring the principals of gun ownership being a specific enumerated right, then “violent crime” is the proper measurement of the hinted at downside to private gun ownership.
  • The number of privately owned guns is not positively correlated with violent crime.
  • Restrictions on private gun ownership is positively correlated with genocide.
  • Not all “gun deaths” are murders or suicides. Many are justified homicide. Some are even praiseworthy homicide. That McKevitt doesn’t make a distinction is very telling. It is deliberate deception.

There is a lot more to be said, but I’ll leave that up to commenters.PinocchioGunGrabber

Tool of Deception in Anti-gun Playbook

Quote of the Day

Blackshear, a Dayton Democrat, now calls modern rifles “mass casualty weapons,” as though the gun, rather than some deranged criminal who might create mayhem, is somehow responsible for a hideous crime. According to a news release from his office, his bill is a response to a tragic 2019 shooting in Dayton’s Oregon district.

Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
March 6, 2024
CCRKBA: OHIO REP. BLACKSHEAR INVENTS NEW TERM TO DEMONIZE GUNS | Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms

As pointed out by Alan Gottlieb:

The gun prohibition movement has tried the terms ‘assault weapons’ and ‘weapons of war,’ and even ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ Now, all of a sudden, Rep. Blackshear has come up with something new to incite the same old anxieties anti-gunners have always had over the fact that Americans like firearms and dislike the efforts to ban them.

Anti-gun people are always trying to put lipstick on their pigs. It’s just another tool of deception in their playbook.

A Thin Veneer of Civilization

Quote of the Day

Unlike so many people around the world, those of us that live in the United States were fortunate enough to grow up in a relatively civilized society.  Unfortunately, we have turned our backs on the values that our forefathers handed down to us, and so now we are starting to find out what is beneath the thin veneer of civilization that we have all been taking for granted all these years.  Our society is absolutely teeming with predators, crime rates are soaring all over the nation, millions of Americans are afraid to leave their own homes, and hordes of drug addicts are literally pooping in the middle of our streets whenever they feel like it.

Michael Snyder
December 4, 2023
We Are Starting To Find Out What Is Beneath The Thin Veneer Of Civilization That We Have All Been Taking For Granted (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)

It is not just a thin veneer of civilization, admittedly they are not orthogonal, but it is also a thin veneer of rationality as well.

Prepare appropriately.

I want an underground bunker in Idaho.

I Like Living in the Future

As much as I like living in the future it is nice to have someone living a little further in the future and sending messages back in time to me.

This is from a conversation with Microsoft Copilot:

Joe: Why is the price of gold going up?

Copilot:

The recent surge in gold prices has been influenced by several factors. Let’s explore them:

  1. Interest Rates and Inflation:
    • The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates to combat inflation. However, the latest inflation data suggests progress in controlling prices.
    • Investors now anticipate that the Fed will pause rate hikes and potentially pivot to rate cuts sooner than expected.
    • Gold, considered an alternative universal currency, tends to have a negative correlation to interest rates. As rates drop, gold prices rise.
    • Additionally, gold serves as a safe haven during economic uncertainty and potential stock market sell-offs.
  2. Banking Crisis and Credit Market Tightening:
    • An unexpected banking crisis in March tightened the credit market, potentially cooling the economy and slowing inflation.
    • Investors are turning to gold as a defensive play against potential economic downturns.
  3. U.S. Dollar Weakness:
    • Gold is typically priced in dollars. When the dollar weakens, investors pay more for the same amount of gold.
    • Psychological factors, including gold’s intrinsic value and unique physical properties, contribute to this negative correlation with the U.S. dollar.
  4. Geopolitical Tensions:
    • Global geopolitical tensions, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, have sparked concerns.
    • Investors view gold as an inflation hedge and a safe haven during times of political instability.

In summary, gold’s recent rally is influenced by interest rates, economic uncertainties, and its role as a reliable store of value

Joe: Tell me about the banking crisis you reference in item 2.

Copilot:

Certainly! The banking crisis I mentioned in item 2 refers to a recent event that raised concerns about the stability of the U.S. banking system. Here are the details:

  • Date: March 11, 2024
  • Program: Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP)
  • Context: The BTFP was initiated in response to the failures of several regional banks, including Signature, Silvergate, and Silicon Valley Bank.
  • Reason for Failures:
    • These banks faced significant challenges due to customers withdrawing deposits en masse.
    • Many of these customers were tech or crypto businesses needing funds to cover losses.
    • Additionally, better savings rates were available elsewhere, prompting deposit withdrawals.
    • The banks’ profitability was further impacted by raised interest rates, which reduced the value of their government bond holdings.
  • Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse:
    • On March 10, 2024, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed after being forced to sell bonds at a loss.
    • This triggered a bank run, as the bank announced the need to raise capital.
  • Contagion Concerns:
    • Investors feared that other banks might also fail, given similar exposure to customer withdrawals and underwater bond portfolios.
    • The collapse of Credit Suisse heightened anxieties, demonstrating the potential for contagion.
  • The BTFP Solution:
    • The Federal Reserve’s BTFP allowed U.S. banks to borrow from the central bank using their bonds as collateral.
    • This provided additional funding and priced the bonds at their original face value (not market value), effectively bolstering banks’ balance sheets.
    • Only one more bank, San Francisco’s First Republic Bank, has failed since then.
  • Closure of BTFP:

Joe: I think you have the date wrong on the collapse of the Silcon Valley Bank. Wasn’t it a year ago rather than this coming Sunday?

Copilot:

You are absolutely correct, and I appreciate your attention to detail! The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) actually occurred on March 10, 2023, which is almost a year ago. It marked the third-largest bank failure in United States history and was the largest since the 2007–2008 financial crisis. Alongside SVB, two other banks—Silvergate Bank and Signature Bank—also faced similar challenges and failed during that period 12.

Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy, and I apologize for any confusion. If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

Joe: Thank you.

Copilot: You’re welcome! If you have any more questions or need assistance, feel free to ask. Have a great day!

<Heavy sigh> So it is just a mixed up chat bot rather than a stray wormhole connected to a few days into the future.

It is All About Feelings

Quote of the Day

If anti-gun lawmakers can continue to chip away at gun ownership, in any small, even meaningless, way, they feel vindicated in their efforts at disarming honest Americans.

Doug Howlett
March 5, 2024
Fixing What Ain’t Broke: Hawaii Seeks to Ban .50-Caliber Guns – The Truth About Guns

It’s not about public safety. And it never has been. For probably most people it is about the feelings. But it has also been about the safety of criminals. This includes the common everyday criminals as well as the government thugs and tyrants.TrustDemocrats

Image via Rolf.

A Good Start

Quote of the Day

Today, we join 27 other states in passing Constitutional Carry. I promised the folks of Louisiana that I would champion Constitutional Carry into law, and within two months, I have honored that commitment.

Jeff Landry
Governor of Louisiana
March 5, 2024
NRA-ILA | Louisiana Becomes Nation’s 28th State with NRA-Backed Constitutional Carry (nraila.org)

Twenty seven states out of 50. That is a good start.

Another 23 then we can start working on Canada, Mexico, and other human rights abusing nations. I think some economic sanctions would be a good start. If not, there are more “persuasive” options available.

This is Just the Beginning

California man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases a US first, prosecutors say | Fox News

A Southern California man was arrested Monday on suspicion of smuggling refrigerants into the U.S. from Mexico and federal prosecutors said he’s the first person to be charged with violating regulations intended to curb the use of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

The indictment alleges Michael Hart, of San Diego, smuggled the ozone-depleting chemicals across the border concealed under a tarp and tools in his vehicle. He posted them for sale on the internet, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“This is the first time the Department of Justice is prosecuting someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it will not be the last,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement.

Emphasis added.

I see a future where ordinary people are prosecuted for smuggling carbonated soft drinks into California.


* You knew the carbonation, CO2, is already considered a pollutant in some political jurisdictions, right?

I Told You Years Ago

Quote of the Day

Following the line upwards we learn that the entire observable universe – the area that sits within the “Hubble radius” is also on that line. In other words, if a black hole was as large as the universe we can see, it would have the same density as the universe. Is the universe then a black hole? And if so, what does that mean?

Lineweaver noted to IFLScience that he and Patel are not the first to ask if the whole universe could be a black hole, although others have reached the idea through different means. The idea seems improbable, but the pair note the universe has always been on the line. Their measure of mass includes dark matter and dark energy (since energy and mass are interchangeable). As the universe within the Hubble radius has grown in size, so has the total mass/energy thanks to increasing dark energy. The fact the universe was also on the line billions of years ago when the Hubble radius was much smaller makes it less likely its position on the line is a coincidence.

Lineweaver notes there is an event horizon around the observable universe, just as there is around a black hole, and this is just one of the parallels between them.

Stephen Luntz
October 19, 2023
The Observable Universe Might Be A Black Hole, Suggests A Chart Of Everything | IFLScience

Interesting.

I wonder who the others they refer to who have asked “if the whole universe could be a black hole.” I first suggested this in February of 2009. See here and here. And I elaborated on it in July of 2010: Our universe is a black hole. I also pointed out Others who say our universe is a black hole.

Last Gasp Insult

Quote of the Day

This is for your wife
Image

S/V Lady M @BwanaLawFirm
Posted on X February 22, 2024

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier!

This was in response to someone sharing a picture of their AR-15 chambered in 300 blk.

It is an actual “book” available on Amazon. Of course it has blank pages for content:

Living with a Micro Penis: Overcoming the Stigma of Having a Small Penis is the perfect gift for your friend with small manhood. Learn to overcome the stigma of having a wee willy with this 100-page, blank lined journal that makes a hilariously perfect gag gift for everyone – Mom, Dad, friends, and family, male or female. If you want to make someone laugh then this is the ideal present.

Zero content, because after the last gasp insult they are completely out of responses.