President Macron has induced a brilliant restoration.
I know.
I have lived with her over the last twenty years for a cumulative couple of those years.
I think, based on the pictures that I have seen of her new totally cleaned and lighted interior, that she is still very, albeit differently, beautiful.
But not more so.
Back when she was a dark, centuries-grimed den, she was beautiful too.
Here are some of the pictures that I have taken of her over the years.
Of her outside.
Recently, when I step out of donnieland and into the real American world, I see a country and a population so stressed, stretched, underfunded, in debt, underhoused, couch surfing, homeless, misled, manipulated, hungry, harassed, hopeless, persecuted, targeted, redlined, unhappy, asthmatic, obese, diabetic, devoid of healthcare and acutely aware that a tiny cadre of their fellows have almost all of the wealth of the land, that something like the French Revolution seems to be inevitable.
donnie ends up playing Louis XVI.
I think Melania is too sly to play Marie Antoinette, so she fades into the glooms of time and space.
Her kid suffers an unknown fate, but he is of the Court, and the Court goes the way that Courts always go in times like these.
So, you guess how that works out.
In the early stages there will be some obvious parallels from 1789 and immediately subsequent years.
Steve Bannon will play an unconvincing Danton.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets to be Robespierre.
And Elon is the last Court Jester.
I haven't thought about this deeply enough to flesh out the rest of the players, but trust me, they are all lined up and ready to go.
Once all that works its way through the system - serial coups and pseudo-judicial assassinations, blood flowing ankle deep on the Washington Mall and all the other requisite attendant theatrics, I think all bets for historic precedents are off and we'll have to wait for the Six O'clock News every night.
Or Fox and Friends.
To flesh out each day's twists and turns - and horrors.
And Fox is probably where our Napoleon lurks, an unheralded, unheard-of unknown.
I had a discussion with Copilot recently.
It was so useful to me that I decided to document it.
Here it is.
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Me: I talked with you recently about the role of GPUs in the architecture of AI neurons. You said that there is one type of NVIDIA GPU that can address 54 billion transistors.
Copilot: It sounds like we were discussing the NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPU. This powerful GPU is designed for AI and high-performance computing, and it indeed has a staggering number of transistors—around 54 billion. It's used in various applications, including training large AI models, due to its immense computational capabilities.
Me: Functionally each of those transistors can be either on or off. Is each of those on/off states functioning as a neuron?
Copilot: Not exactly. While each transistor in a GPU can be in an "on" or "off" state, they don't function as neurons themselves. Instead, transistors are the building blocks of the circuits that make up the GPU. These circuits perform the complex calculations required for tasks like rendering graphics or training AI models.
In the context of AI, neurons are part of artificial neural networks, which are mathematical models inspired by the human brain. These neurons are implemented in software and run on the hardware provided by GPUs. The transistors in the GPU enable the parallel processing power needed to handle the large number of calculations involved in training and running these neural networks.
So, while transistors are crucial for the operation of GPUs, they are not directly functioning as neurons. They provide the necessary infrastructure for the software-based neurons to perform their tasks efficiently.
Me: And each of those 54 billion operate independent and simultaneously?
Copilot: Not quite. While the 54 billion transistors in a GPU like the NVIDIA A100 are indeed capable of operating simultaneously, they don't function independently. Instead, they work together in a highly coordinated manner to perform complex calculations.
GPUs are designed for parallel processing, meaning they can handle many tasks at once. This is why they are so effective for tasks like rendering graphics and training AI models, which require a lot of simultaneous computations. The transistors are organized into cores, and each core can execute multiple threads of instructions at the same time. This parallelism is what gives GPUs their incredible processing power.
So, while the transistors are not independent, their coordinated operation allows the GPU to perform massive amounts of calculations simultaneously, making them ideal for handling the demands of AI and other computationally intensive tasks.
*** I made an assumption here that I should have documented by asking "do the cores have a higher level management function for the cores such that the cores function as an array?" ***
Me: Does the core array get processed sequentially?
Copilot: No, the core array in a GPU does not get processed sequentially. Instead, GPUs are designed for parallel processing, meaning they can handle many tasks simultaneously. Each core in the GPU can execute multiple threads at the same time, allowing for massive parallelism. This is what makes GPUs so powerful for tasks like rendering graphics and training AI models, where many calculations need to be performed concurrently.
Me: So a GPU is hierarchically parallel?
Yes, you could say that a GPU operates in a hierarchically parallel manner. Here's a breakdown of how this works:
Transistors: At the lowest level, the billions of transistors in a GPU work together to perform basic operations.
Cores: These transistors are grouped into cores. Each core can handle multiple threads simultaneously, allowing for parallel processing within each core.
Multiprocessors: Cores are further grouped into streaming multiprocessors (SMs). Each SM can execute many threads in parallel, managing the workload efficiently.
GPU: The entire GPU consists of multiple SMs, enabling it to handle a vast number of parallel tasks across its architecture.
This hierarchical structure allows GPUs to perform massive amounts of parallel computations, making them highly efficient for tasks like rendering graphics and training AI models.
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Then I asked Copilot to draw a diagram of the beast. Here it is.
So I asked for labels.
We may be on to something here.
I wish I knew what it might be.
The ambience of the PBS Newshour on 5 November, about 20:00 pretty much said that Kamala was losing.
So I went to bed and watched the movie Dave on my iPhone.
Great movie.
I woke up next day and, sure enough, donnie the dildo is back.
But this time it's different.
He won the popular vote.
So a majority of Americans who voted want donnie to do what he has said he is going to do and deeply expect to benefit from what he has said he is going to do.
Immediately.
At least that's what I have heard his voters say in all the election postmortems that I have heard.
Just to pick at random - there are so many more - one of the things he has committed to deliver is immediate reduction of inflation, and the way he has posed it, that promise is not the rate of inflation, but the prices in the stores.
One should note that the price of things has never come down in a significant manner after a bout of inflation in history, except in a major depression or conditions functionally similar.
Whatever, that promise is describable, observable, rememberable and measurable.
And donnie has the Senate; and he has the Court; and he has immunity; and he has the House; so he can do whatever he wants.
And that is a better thing than it appears on the surface, because: he is clearly on-the-record, and committed, to defined, immediate results, results that can be documented, tracked, measured and remembered.
If anyone still has a memory.
So, we can measure what his regime does and what his regime accomplishes and conduct those measurements in a donnie-defined time frame (immediately) and decide (in a metaphorical sense) whether we want to keep him, or if he fails (immediate disinflation never having been seen on this planet) instead of keeping him, kill him and hang him up in the town square and gut him like the fascist pig that he is, just like the Italians did to Mussolini.
That's how strong man countries treat their strong men.
Ultimately.
America has a short acceptance span, so "ultimately" may be a short-term thing.
One would think.
And when strong men turn out to be weak, stupid, full of shit, and don't deliver on their promises they get gutted and hung up in the town square.
At least metaphorically.
And since donnie has signed us up for strong man country membership, we get to treat him - metaphorically - like self-proclaimed strong men have always been treated.
I give him a year; we'll see how his immediate promises come out.
Looking forward to a metaphorical hog roast.
As donnie the dildo and his imminent era of hate loom large in our picture windows of what is coming at us, already voices of dissent are arising - even in his larval-state regime.
The cacophony is ear shattering.
But one phrase keeps rising above the rage: a raving and cheering crowd roar.
"12 million need to be killed, killed, not deported".
As that agenda item settles in on the recently retreaded land of the free, I hear, and I think, and, as a thinker, I empathize.
Indeed, rounding up and transporting to somewhere yet to be determined, 12 million human beings is going to be a challenging and, worse yet, expensive cargo to deport.
So, I have an idea for Steven Miller and the boys.
Since 2019 the price of cat food has doubled.
Why not just move 12 million people from their currently productive contributions to the American economy and into the cat food slaughter pens and turn them into cat food?
Maybe Fussy Cat can go back to $23 a case?
Makes donnie look really good.
And J. D. can win back the cat ladies for 2028, if donnie doesn't run (I'm sure that bothersome 22nd amendment doesn't apply to donnie) so Ol' J.D.'s prospects are not really good.
For 28.
But donnie is pretty old, so who knows?
And it opens a whole new approach to immigration policy: just keep 'em coming, into the pens.
How trumpian.
Last night the PBS Newshour was acting way too much like the CNBC that I was watching eight years previously, when CNBC was my only conduit to what was happening in the 2016 American presidential election; I was in Paris; I had voted for Hillary, and I was expecting that she was going to win.
I had just come back from a walk down the Seine.
On that walk I had taken - yet another - picture of the bronze of Thomas Jefferson that Paris has put there on the quais.
I was confident that a New York mafia wanna be and obvious common criminal was not going to be added to the list upon which the person that bronze represents was the third.
And I was wrong.
As I watched, CNBC's master of the numbers kept proffering scenarios of how the changing vote picture was going to produce a second - this time female - Clinton presidency.
I could tell that Clinton was losing.
So I went to bed.
When I woke up, I found out to my chagrin, that I was right.
the donnie the dildo era had commenced.
The ambience of PBS last night, about 20:00 was pretty much of that CNBC experience.
In 2016.
So I went to bed and watched the movie Dave on my iPhone.
Great movie.
And when I woke up this morning, sure enough, donnie is back.
But this time it's different.
He won the popular vote.
So a majority of American voters who voted want him to do what he has said he is going to do and expect to benefit from the almost immediate improvements to things that he has promised to deliver.
And he has the Senate.
And he has the Court.
And he is - not sure as I write this - going to have the House.
So he can do whatever he wants.
And that is a better thing than it sounds on the surface: he is clearly committed to defined results.
Hypothetically, we can measure what his regime does and accomplishes and decide whether we want to keep him or kill him and hang him up in the town square and gut him like the pig that he is, just like the Italians did to Mussolini.
When or if the results aren't forthcoming.
So how do we measure the results?
Hard to say.
Because donnie has promised so much.
But I have been around long enough that I have seen inflation (and during my 82 years the president has never had any control over it) wax and wane.
Back in the early 70s I adopted the sirloin beef inflation indicator.
Sirloin steak.
Price per pound.
So, here is the deal.
A year from now we all get back together and see what a New York cut steak costs per pound versus today.
At Costco today New York strip steaks cost $15.99 a pound - so says Copilot.
Normal fluctuation in commodity prices is 10% to 20%,
So, if a year from now, using the upper end of inflation, expected and/or normal, a New York cut costs $19.18 a pound, donnie loses.
If it costs $12.79 a pound he wins.
In either case we all lose.
Because we've got donnie.
And $12.79 for the meat on your plate is a stupid price.
I asked Copilot to write me a blog post about the history of the baguette.
Here it is.
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The History of the French Government's Involvement in the Nature and Price of the Standard French Baguette
Post-Revolutionary Equality
After the French Revolution, the newly formed government introduced the concept of the "bread of equality." This law mandated that bakers could only produce one type of bread, eliminating distinctions between bread for the rich and the poor. This led to the creation of a bread that was affordable and accessible to everyone.
Standardization in the 1920s
In the 1920s, the French government passed a law prohibiting bakers from working between 10 pm and 4 am. This restriction meant bakers had less time to produce traditional round loaves, leading them to create longer thinner breads that could be baked more quickly. This is one of the factors that contributed to the modern baguette's shape.
Cultural Symbol
The baguette became a symbol of French culinary tradition and identity, especially after World War II. It represented France's recovery and prosperity, and the government played a role in promoting it as a staple of French cuisine.
UNESCO Recognition
In 2022, the craftsmanship of the baguette was named to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting its cultural significance and the importance of preserving traditional baguette-making techniques.
Price Control and Government Support
The French government used to regulate the price of bread, including baguettes, but this changed in 1987. Since then, bakeries have been free to set their own prices. However, there have been discussions and measures to support bakers, especially in light of rising costs for ingredients and electricity.
In recent years, concerns about rising wheat prices and electricity costs have led some bakers to consider raising their prices. The government has stepped in with measures like the "electricity damper" to help bakers manage their bills.
Me: Do spiders have three body segments like insects?
Copilot: No, spiders do not have three body segments like insects. Instead, spiders have two main body segments:
Cephalothorax: This is a fused head and thorax, where the legs, eyes, mouthparts, and other appendages are attached.
Abdomen: This is the rear part of the spider’s body, containing the digestive organs, reproductive organs, and spinnerets for web production.
In contrast, insects have three distinct body segments: the head, thorax, and abdomen.
This difference is one of the key ways to distinguish between spiders and insects.
Me: I live in Seattle and have house spiders living with me.
The body size is a little less than a centimeter and the legs are maybe 5 or 6 centimeters in length.
What kind do you think it is?
Copilot: Based on your description, it sounds like you might have giant house spiders (Eratigena atrica) in your home. These spiders are quite common in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. They typically have a body length of about 1 centimeter and leg spans that can reach up to 5 or 6 centimeters.
Giant house spiders are known for their speed and size, but they are generally harmless to humans. They actually help control other household pests like flies and beetles.
If you’re comfortable with them, they can be beneficial roommates!
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I have written a brief beginning to the first chapter to another novel I am considering writing.
For the first time anywhere, here it is.
It's a sequel to The Cream Soup Spoon.
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Peter thought to himself "I guess I'm going to need to clean house pretty soon.
"I hate to waste a moment of my few remaining moments on that soul killing sort of activity, but I guess I am going to have to do it,
"After all, the spider webs are beginning to occlude the light from the ceiling fixtures, and those fixtures are high bright LCDs".
A high pitched, metallic-sounding "voice" rejoined.
"Yes, I think it's time. But leave our food traps, please".
That voice was the voice of Sophia, one of the many spiders that had moved in with Peter over the years.
Alfie, an apparently big orange cat, but actually a fluidly mobile entity, spoke.
"Peter, we need you to start writing again.
"You said another was imminent, and it is getting REALLY IMMINENT.
"And it can't happen if you don't write it".
"Bullshit!!!"
The metallic sound of the word "bullshit" made Peter start to laugh; Sophia, if anything, was a proper lady; "bullshit" would not have been thought to be a part of her mental processes, let alone her ready-to-use vocabulary.
But she used it.
Peter started laughing, stopped, started again, and then could not stop.
Choking ensued.
Things calmed down and Alfie, Peter and Sophia stared at one another.
Peter had told Sophia of his adventures with Bert, Cinq, Rose, Genji, Lancelot and Alfie when Alfie had appeared one day at the residence that Peter, Sophia, and the rest of the spiders share; Alfie was sneezing amongst the spider webs, but otherwise seemed to know his way around.
"This looks just like Bert told me it looked" he said.
Sophia immediately identified Alfie as kindred, although he had half as many legs as she.
After all, Peter only had two.
Legs.
And she had accepted him.
So, staring at each other after the "bullshit", they had every component of an ability to sort things out.
donnie the dildo is running around Pennsylvania today saying "they spent all that money on voting machines; but we have to wait twelve days for the vote count; give me a break".
Accompanied with a moronic donnie curled lip, mussolini style.
And the MAGA MORONS roared in hysterical approval.
Of course, you morons, the voting machines can have a count at poll close.
Kinda like the till of the electronic register at day's end at your local pub.
If you let them do that.
Use them the way they were designed to work.
With a lot od cross-footing and balance checking and an end-count tally, with a final cross-check.
Like you morons won't let your voting machines do.
Because of your trumped-up bullshit voting machine myths.
If all the pub crawlers in all the neighborhoods of western civilization harbored the same sort of trumped-up bullshit myths about the way their favorite bar's cash register worked, and how those trumped-up bullshit myths were against Jesus, and all of them chose a dear leader to represent them in amelioration of the imagined effects of those bullshit, trumped-up, anti-Jesus myths, all those pubs would go out of business for lack of cash flow.
