Annie

Writer with a background in aerospace, technical writing, and cybersecurity. AI is amazing and changing life very quickly.

[Annie @Annie51101]

@CultivatedBooks I read 37 on your list before I finished college in the 1980s. I’ve heard of the rest. Great list! I doubt my daughter read more than 3 or 4 tops during her high school years in the 2010s. 🥺

[Annie @Annie51101]

@openshutter21 Definitely a fairy tale setting. Amazing photo. I added a mermaid.

[Annie @Annie51101]

@latonyaramsay11 Thank you for your kind words!

[Annie @Annie51101]

@tuuu28283 Chili Spaghetti is yummy and filling. I make it rarely, but when I do I use a can of Hormel chili with beans. I usually just use Parmesan cheese for the topping. I’m never organized enough to have onions or grated cheese in the house.

[Annie @Annie51101]

@Fascinate_Hist Lifelong history buff here. Saying hello from sunny SoCal.

[Annie @Annie51101]

A girl, her cat, and her trusty Optimus serving her wine and charcuterie at the end of a long day.

[Annie @Annie51101]

Not how a hurdy gurdy is played or what it sounds like, but still a nice image IMHO.

[Annie @Annie51101]

I’ve created several thousand images including over 150 mermaid images with Grok Imagine since I began using it earlier this year. Here is one of them. Not sure why it never occurred to me to post anything on X until very recently. My bad. I am still more comfortable with stills than video but I’m working hard to improve my videos.

[Annie @Annie51101]

This might be Helen of Troy. This is a simple clip but it captures some of the things I love most about Grok Imagine. I enjoy researching plant and animal life to give my images and videos as much realism as possible. In this case, the woman is walking in a Mediterranean garden featuring olive trees, lavender, and agave. I’ve also discovered the joys of lighting images in different ways and learning how critical light is to almost every image I create.

[Annie @Annie51101]

I wanted to honor the state where I grew up, Minnesota, the star of the north. In the center is a Chippewa maiden standing near some wild rice. Below her is a voyageur, one of the 18th century French-Canadian fur trappers who plied their trade in the wilderness that would become Minnesota.

Top left is the northern woods, silver birch trees, one of the thousands of lakes, and a loon, the state bird, known for its haunting, distinctive call.

Top right, an open pit mine near Duluth in the iron range along the north shore of Lake Superior. Minnesota is the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the US. The Edmund Fitzgerald freighter ship was loaded with iron ore bound for Detroit when it famously sank in 1975.

The legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his trusty side kick Babe the Blue Ox are featured. Some say he was born in Minnesota and legend has it that that the many lakes formed in the ox’s footprints. The vast majority of lakes were actually created as the glaciers retreat about 12,000 years ago.

Below Paul and Babe are some of the immigrant pioneers from Germany, Norway, and Sweden who settled the area that became Minnesota, cleared the land, grew their crops, grazed their livestock and built the cities. They created businesses and founded companies like Pillsbury, General Mills, Cargill, Hormel, and Dairy Queen International. Some of their crops—corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats are featured in the image.

Bottom left, the showy lady slipper orchid is the state flower. Bottom right is the Minneapolis skyline and bottom center is the state seal, featured on the state flag when I called Minnesota my home.

[Annie @Annie51101]

I was going to add these alternate versions. Elon Art Nouveau and Art Deco versions. I like all of them.

[Annie @Annie51101]

Okay, getting some of my Elon fangirling out of the way. Apologies in advance for future flareups. Just a very impressive person. I love his mom. Maye Musk is the epitome of class, beauty, and style. And wow, she raised some amazing children!

[Annie @Annie51101]

A peaceful winter’s dawn in Paris. A fox returns from his nightly rabbit hunt in the cemetery. He pauses to investigate the stranger sharing his street, then continues on his way, the only sound is the soft crunch of his delicate paws on the new fallen snow.

[Annie @Annie51101]

Statuette of Diana. I photographed this first century BC Roman bronze at the Getty Villa. I saw a dancing girl in an ancient marketplace. However, if this is the goddess Artemis, she is immortal and perhaps she paid her statue a visit.

I am still learning how to create videos with Grok Imagine so this is not exactly what I wanted, but I think this mini story is worth a look.

[Annie @Annie51101]

The stars are within reach if we but stretch out our hand. Created with Grok Imagine.

[Annie @Annie51101]

#NewProfilePic

[Annie @Annie51101]

@newstart_2024 Growing up in Minnesota, I learned decades ago that “cotton kills.” Wool keeps you warm even when it’s wet. Go through the ice in cotton , it’s all over. Wearing wool, you might survive.