I compare my time in a similar situation to being exposed to some nasty disease. It was misery at the time but has provided some inoculation against authoritarianism and demagoguery since. Also let me know sadists are a thing.

My first realization about this problem with reddit came about a decade ago when it became undeniable that shills flooded the discourse the moment Monsanto was mentioned.

One web LLM I was screwing around with had Job Interview as a preset. Ok. Played it totally straight the first time and had a totally positive outcome. Thought the interviewer way too agreeable. The next time I said the most inappropriate stuff I could imagine and still the interviewer agreed to come home with me to check out the rock collection I keep under my bed and listen to Captain Beefheart albums.

Has been broiling here in Appalachia this last week. Brought the dogs in even when they wished to be out. Chickens seem ok. They’re under the shade of trees. Some digging out holes in their run to keep cool.

Last week our old girl got snakebit. We’d just spotted a copperhead the week prior -the first venomous snake we’d ever seen anywhere near our place. Relieved she bounced back quickly. Swelling down after a day. Glad to have had some leftover antibiotic that kept the nasty wound at the bite from getting worse.

It’s shocking to see the assault on libraries across Appalachia. Sad to see it’s a broader problem. For as little finding as they require they provide critical services. So many nasty politicos trying to win some points with the lowest common denominators of humanity must see them as an easy target.