Now, THIS is what I call an avatar!
[Note to readers unfamiliar with Stearns: he’s the Wetmachanic who blogs under the “Inventing the Future” rubric, usually about avatars of some damn kind or other.][That’s a joke, son.]
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But while the uproar has swayed much of the public to Johansson's defense at a time when #genAI is increasingly under scrutiny, this may not quite be an open-and-shut case should she decide to sue . Read the breakdown from @M_F_Rose in her latest article:
The release of @OpenAI's new digital assistant "Sky" stirred controversy after actress Scarlett Johansson alleged that the company had infringed on her rights by using a soundalike voice of hers after she'd declined to voice it herself.
Just saw @MargotSusca fantastic interview with @adamconover about the death of local news at the hands of hedge funds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21YfWy0-bA A theme I have written about *a lot*. Like this blog post from 2018: https://wetmachine.com/tales-of-the-sausage-factory/we-need-to-fix-the-news-media-not-just-social-media-part-i/ This has been a long time in the making.
I wrote yesterday on the terrifying escalation of antisemitism in Canada, citing events just over past week. Now there is more: last night a firebomb attempt at a Vancouver synagogue. Daily antisemitic incidents is who we are now.
https://www.jewishvancouver.com/important-community-updates-may-20-2024
https://x.com/mgeist/status/1796233336203194446

Is he big in Japan?
The early ’80’s spoof “Spinal Tap” used being “big in Japan” as a way for people (or ideas) to have some traction when they weren’t getting popular in the US.
I think that’s the way a lot of people and ideas work now in virtual worlds, or more generally in virtual Internet identities.
But it’s a cool video, ain’t it? Kind of makes me wish we could have a Ron Paul/Max Headroom simulated animatron for president. Can you imagine him (it?) giving the State of the Union address?