Spread the Word

Attribution: WORD OF THE YEAR by Randall Enos, Easton, CT

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is ‘authentic.’ That says a lot about 2023 : NPR

If what we search for is any indication of what we value, then things aren’t looking great for artificial intelligence.

“Authentic” was selected as the 2023 word of the year by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, landing among the most-looked-up words in the dictionary’s 500,000 entries, the company said in a press release Monday.

After all, this was the year that Chat GPT disrupted academic integrity and AI drove Hollywood actors and writers to the picket lines.

[…]

2023 was the year that authenticity morphed into performance, its very meaning made fuzzy amidst the onslaught of algorithms and alternative facts. The more we crave it, the more we question it.

This is where the dictionary definition comes in.

“Although clearly a desirable quality, authentic is hard to define and subject to debate — two reasons it sends many people to the dictionary,” Merriam-Webster said in its release. Look-ups for the word saw a “substantial increase in 2023,” it added.

For a word that we might associate with a certain kind of reliability, “authentic” comes with more than one meaning.

It’s a synonym for “real,” defined as “not false or imitation.” But it can also mean “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character” and, sneakily, “conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features.”

This may be why we connect it to ethnicity (authentic cuisine or authentic accent) but also identity in the larger sense (authentic voice and authentic self). In this age where artifice seems to advance daily, we’re in a collective moment of trying to go back, to connect with some earlier, simpler version of ourselves.

[continues]

Share

33 thoughts on “Spread the Word”

  1. “Late Show” canceled as Stephen Colbert recovers from surgery (msn.com)

    so in lieu of the real thing, here’s jimmy(s)

    Jimmy Fallon stops by for a performance of “Wrap Me Up” with Meghan Trainor, we are back after a couple of days off celebrating Thanksgiving with our families, Americans spent an estimated 9.8 billion dollars online during Black Friday alone, Jimmy received a special Thanksgiving message from Marjorie Taylor Greene asking to be a guest on the show, time is running out for future former Congressman George Santos who is likely to be expelled any day now, First Lady Jill Biden made a big announcement about the annual White House holiday theme, Trump tried to spread some holiday cheer over Thanksgiving, and Jimmy makes a plea to Hall & Oates during a difficult time in their relationship.

  2. whatever happened to the GOP’s compassionate conservatism? how authentic was/is it? pro-life shmro-life.

    Florida state official lay collapsed for 24 minutes outside Ron DeSantis’s office | Florida | The Guardian

    Ron DeSantis’s chief elections fraud official collapsed after abruptly leaving a “contentious” meeting in the Florida governor’s office, then lay dead or dying for almost half an hour in the hallway outside until he was found, an investigation published Monday has revealed.
    Previously unreported details of the September 2022 death of Peter Antonacci in the Tallahassee capitol building appeared on the website of the Florida Bulldog, an independent online watchdog of the state’s politics and government.
    The outlet, acting on a tip-off that Antonacci, 74, died after an argument with DeSantis, submitted a public information records request to obtain redacted documents from the Florida department of law enforcement (FDLE).
    None of the 17 pages, which the Bulldog released online, confirm that DeSantis was actually present at the meeting in a conference room at his own office, attended by, among others, Florida’s secretary of state James Byrd and Mark Glass, the FDLE commissioner.
    But they did reveal other details that were until now not publicly disclosed, including that Antonacci died after a heated meeting in the governor’s office, rather than generically “at work in the Capitol building” as first stated; and that he lay undiscovered for 24 minutes after he collapsed in the hallway immediately outside.During the meeting, the purpose of which was redacted from the papers, Antonacci became “agitated” and “frustrated” at various times, witnesses said.
    The Bulldog does not allege criminal wrongdoing by any party and the documents paint a picture of frantic efforts to revive Antonacci, who had a history of cardiac problems, once he was finally found.

    Its report, however, highlights the veil of secrecy that was thrown over the incident and its aftermath, including where it took place, who was present and why Antonacci might have become upset or angry during the meeting. The redactions on the paperwork hide the identities of all of the “10 to 15 people” reported to be present, while still images and video of the episode were withheld entirely.

    […]
    Antonacci, a former election supervisor in Florida’s Broward county, was DeSantis’s personal pick to lead a controversial new state office of election crimes and security, with unprecedented prosecutorial powers, in the wake of the 2020 general election.
    On election night that year, the governor praised Florida’s safe and secure voting mechanism as an example for the nation, but quickly adopted the view that a crackdown was needed after Donald Trump falsely insisted his defeat to Joe Biden was the result of electoral fraud.

  3. Georgia prosecutors oppose plea deals for Trump, Meadows and Giuliani | Donald Trump | The Guardian

    Fulton county prosecutors do not intend to offer plea deals to Donald Trump and at least two high-level co-defendants charged in connection with their efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, according to two people familiar with the matter, preferring instead to force them to trial.
    The individuals seen as ineligible include Trump, his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
    Aside from those three, the Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis has opened plea talks or has left open the possibility of talks with the remaining co-defendants in the hope that they ultimately decide to become cooperating witnesses against the former president, the people said.
    [continues]

  4. Apparently George  Santos thinks Mary Mag was stoned to death which explains wtf he was trying to get across.
     I think he must be stoned, cause otherwise he ain’t got the sense god gave a carrot.

  5. two-fer from parody project

    Parody of Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Lyrics by David Cohen – Production and Performance by Don Caron. The story about what happens to a lie once you’re under oath.

    You might have guessed. It’s a parody of Get Me to the Church on Time from My Fair Lady (by Lerner and Loewe). Lyrics were sent to me by John Emory of The Freedom Toast. Yes, we realize this all happened last August but you need a reminder about how weird things have gotten.

  6. Being authentic is some dicey business. I’ve come across the occasional fraud many mistake for being authentic. Perhaps the most maddening thing about Trump is how so many of his followers like him because they think he is authentic. And it’s the coarse, insulting language that puts off others they like the most. Blunt and vulgar is the opposite of authentic. It’s phony and manipulative.

  8. Those same people thought it would be “authentic” to have a beer with G W Bush. 

    Every successful gop attack on a democraic presidential candidate was a result of gop convincing large numbers of people that the Democrat was NOT authentic. Dukakis in a tank; swift-boats, flip-flops and purple band-aids; Gore invented the internet; Her Emails!;
    The one they’re desperate to take hold right now is the “Biden Is Too Old”. That’s their last ditch, they’ve exhausted every other gambit.
    It’s not going to take this time. The magats and their Head-magat are all standing out there Buck Nekkid and everybody sees it.

    You know they can parade any half-wit out there as their candidate, like the actor with Alzheimer’s, the fratboy cheerleader, and Chump but they say our guys are not authentic.
    Balderdash.

  9. ″‘Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.’ “
    ‘Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it.’

    Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.”
    —From book of the week CATCHER IN THE RYE

  10. “It’s funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to.”
    —Holden Caulfield, misguided youth.

  11. “People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” -Aldous Huxley
     
    Speed-dial was a slippery slope.   Then came Google, and now we don’t need to remember anything, just look it up.  

    Do you remember your first phone number? Do you know your best friend’s phone number now?

  12. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-israel-starlink-internet-gaza-agreement/

    “Elon Musk arrived in Israel on Monday, as Israel announced an agreement that Starlink would only operate in Israel and Gaza with the Israeli government’s approval.”

    Elon Musk does damage control with trip to Israel

    “Blatant antisemite & publisher of antisemitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel,” wrote Esther Solomon, the editor-in-chief of independent Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “Instead, Netanyahu — plumbing new depths of amoral sycophancy — gifts him a PR visit to the kibbutzim devastated by Hamas. Profane, venal, bilious, both of them.”

    “Musk has a long history of shutting down speech he dislikes and engaging with dangerous and extremist voices. With potential control of internet access in a war time region there are far bigger concerns beyond just the content moderation on a platform he has driven to the ground.”

  14. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/28/texas-food-banks-high-demand-snap/

    “Inflation, stagnant federal funding for food programs and high housing costs mean that demand at food banks still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.”

    “A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 15.5% of Texas households lack consistent access to food that is both healthy and affordable, meaning they fit the definition of being food insecure. Texas has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, and food banks are warning that the challenges could soon get worse.”

    “From January of 2020 to October 2023, there was a 28% increase in the number of Texans age 65 and older receiving SNAP benefits, and an increase of 19% for those aged 60 to 64 years old. Other age groups stayed flat or saw single-digit growth. The increase in housing prices has made it harder for seniors who typically live on fixed incomes.”

  15. Hey Pat, there is nothing inauthentic about AI. It is American as nachos, spaghetti red or cashew chicken.
    And can it be any less authentic than the pablum we view on our streaming services. 
    BTW in an attempt to find something worth watching I subscribed to Disney, oh crap, I forgot just how many bad movies Disney made just to get the few we treasure.
    Jack

  16. My phone crapperd out earlier this year, so I’ve had a free trial of Apple TV that came with the new one.

    “Ted Lasso” is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.  In fact, it might be a close second to “Northern Exposure” for me.  

    It was only three seasons and it’s said they left all of the characters where they wanted them, so there won’t be a fourth season, and probably no need to keep Apple TV.   I can always watch show clips on YouTube if I start to miss it.  

    “Dickinson” was a good series, too, and also ended at season three.  The first season was amazing, but then it faded.

  17. Just noticed the pics below of Il Douche and Orange-Cheeto (rhymes with Benito) tRUMPolini.  The orange monster seems to be doing something new with his combover, and he seems to be shooting up that weight loss (diabetes) medicine that’s all the rage, or maybe he’s holding himself to one, BigMac per day. (“Supersize Me” was a good documentary.)

    Either way, I hope he meets his goal weight of 215 for his official, intake processing in Georgia.

    https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/health/weight-loss-diabetes-drugs-gastroparesis/index.html

    “…severe gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, which their doctors think may have resulted from or been exacerbated by the medication they were taking, Ozempic.”
    “…ongoing nausea and vomiting…”
    “…cyclic vomiting syndrome…”

  18. Just saw a few stills from the memorial, front row are the presidents, their wives, the veep, her husband at the end is Melinia.  Next to Michelle Obama.  Ah sweet happiness is having a racist forced to keep hands and mouth to themselves.

  19. Just spotted a KO tweet that he is done with twit and is now on other social media platforms.  He is on Bluesky; if you need an invite I have a few to hand out.

  21. On last night’s 11th Hour, LP’s Stuart Stevens sums up the collapse of the Republican Party as a governing party: the word is cartel.
    (@6:00)

  22. My aunts had the knack of being syrupy sweet to someone while at the same time cutting them to the quick……..I bet Ms Obama knows that trick. 

  23. I guess turnabout’s Far-flung cause I ‘scribed to the global news podcast.   

    Also almost coincidentally “Turn About” by William Faulkner is this Week’s short story of the Month.

  24. Mark Cuban is selling a majority share of the Dallas Mavericks to Sheldon Adelson’s widow, but will maintain managing control for now. 

    https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2023/11/28/23980280/report-adelson-family-to-buy-significant-stake-in-mavericks-cuban-to-retain-operational-control

    “Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, is selling $2 billion of stock in Las Vegas Sands Corp. so the family can acquire a majority stake…”

    “This could be a sign of things to come, in the way of the gamification of the sports attendance experience. With professional sports franchise owners getting into bed more and more closely with casino ownership…”

  26. Life is finding a pile of oysters you did not know were just hanging around.  Now finding out how tasty they are.
     
    Yahoo entertainment has a “report” that Rosslyn requested Melonmia be invited so tradtion of all the living First Ladies are at the memorial.  I suppose it gets awkward inviting all the veeps wives, and now husband.

  29. I remember the “fruitcake lady” on late night TV, but didn’t know she was Capote’s aunt, or maybe I wasn’t aware of who he was at the time.  She was a hoot and a half.
     
    Rosalyn Carter was a class act to the end.
    Could Melanoma have looked any more unpleasant?   She seems to have zero social grace, which maybe isn’t part of red sparrow training.  

Comments are closed.