England’s legendary ~1,200 year old Major Oak tree in Sherwood Forest has died
• The tree is closely tied to the legend of Robin Hood
• Experts believe climate change and nearby coal mining, which altered the local water table, were major contributors to its death
(via @BBC)
Tom Holland says creativity is safe from AI because it 'doesn't have a soul'
"Creativity is safe from AI because creativity has to do with the human experience. It's about emotions, it's about understanding one another ... AI can sift through data ... but it doesn’t understand emotions. It doesn’t understand the difference between being happy and being sad ... the way artists paint, it's not about what they're copying, it's about expressing themselves ... [AI] doesn't have a soul"
Guillermo del Toro says AI is a form of 'natural stupidity'
“We are on the verge of image illiteracy. We are on the verge of cinema illiteracy ... The pact between man and image is sacred, but we are in a time when that is in danger ... We are told images can be generated by artificial means. The existence of an image is not just to be there. It is to connect us, to make us feel beauty"
(via @Variety)
The Art Directors Guild slams Martin Scorsese for his generative AI partnership
They accused him of 'turning his back on the human artists who throughout his career have helped him create his most memorable works'
"Mr. Scorsese asks the question, 'how do you communicate what you see in your head to your cast and crew?' He claims the solution is the use of this generative AI program to do the jobs that are rightfully the jurisdiction of Art Directors Guild"
"Generative AI is only capable of producing this type of 'cinematic intelligence' by ingesting large swaths of copyrighted work, likely scraped from the internet without consent, credit, compensation, or transparency"
"The skills of Art Directors Guild Local 800 artists and designers bring the highest level of value to any film or television production. To think their professional contributions can be mimicked or outshone by generative AI, which is built on work likely stolen from them and many other artists from around the world, is a betrayal of the collaborative nature of cinema"
Uncle Iroh voice actor Greg Baldwin criticizes Paramount over the state of the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' franchise
“Paramount doesn’t care about ATLA ... The new regime at Paramount is straight up evil"
"I can speak freely because I’m 65 years old and my pocketful of fucks is seriously depleted"
"Working as a paralegal at various studios in LA for thirty years…I had the opportunity to observe studio executives closely. They’re generally a slippery and clueless bunch who shouldn’t be allowed near anything remotely creative…but the new regime at Paramount is straight up evil"
"These soulless bastards have nothing but contempt for a show about grace and redemption and the struggle against fascism"
"ATLA is a mystery to them."
"They. Do. Not. Value. The. Franchise."
"Who should lose their jobs to AI? Answer… Studio Executives. Ironically…those cockroaches will be the last to go"
"In conclusion… Fuck you, Paramount"
(via @GregBaldwinIroh)
Antony Starr speaks out against AI
"'[AI] is coming no matter what' ... bla bla. Recent movies have proven that people want human stories. Not big ridiculous VFX-driven nonsense"
"Ever tried to go to an Al movie premiere? The cast are horrible and they hate their human fans"
Draymond Green said if Wemby did to Steph what he did to Brunson in Game 3…he would’ve been thrown out.
“He pushed him down and none of the guys on the Knicks team did anything. Don’t not for one second think that didn’t matter.”
The sensitivity of Thunder fans didn’t surprise me. But I admit I’m kind of shocked by how many prominent Knicks fans turned to whining after losing their first game since April. Spurs are too physical… for a New York team? Spurs talking confidently is… aura farming? Baby mode.