#semiotics

[prokopetz]

Some helpful tips for newcomers from Twitter:

Truch your eglevigater so people don't think you're a voke

The main way of planding wardic on Tumblr is merming, so always largan your spithers

You can shooth your resils and lentries to "quotte"

Nobody wants to get darrupted, so sten your correns offly

NEVER GREEB; it's bad hootrum

Remember: we're all in this together

#twitter #tumblr #blogging #social media #twitter migration #tumblr etiquette #psa #language #semiotics #the gostak distims the doshes

[river-taxbird]

There is no such thing as AI.

How to help the non technical and less online people in your life navigate the latest techbro grift.

I've seen other people say stuff to this effect but it's worth reiterating. Today in class, my professor was talking about a news article where a celebrity's likeness was used in an ai image without their permission. Then she mentioned a guest lecture about how AI is going to help finance professionals. Then I pointed out, those two things aren't really related.

The term AI is being used to obfuscate details about multiple semi-related technologies.

Traditionally in sci-fi, AI means artificial general intelligence like Data from star trek, or the terminator. This, I shouldn't need to say, doesn't exist. Techbros use the term AI to trick investors into funding their projects. It's largely a grift.

What is the term AI being used to obfuscate?

If you want to help the less online and less tech literate people in your life navigate the hype around AI, the best way to do it is to encourage them to change their language around AI topics.

By calling these technologies what they really are, and encouraging the people around us to know the real names, we can help lift the veil, kill the hype, and keep people safe from scams. Here are some starting points, which I am just pulling from Wikipedia. I'd highly encourage you to do your own research.

Machine learning (ML): is an umbrella term for solving problems for which development of algorithms by human programmers would be cost-prohibitive, and instead the problems are solved by helping machines "discover" their "own" algorithms, without needing to be explicitly told what to do by any human-developed algorithms. (This is the basis of most technologically people call AI)

Language model: (LM or LLM) is a probabilistic model of a natural language that can generate probabilities of a series of words, based on text corpora in one or multiple languages it was trained on. (This would be your ChatGPT.)

Generative adversarial network (GAN): is a class of machine learning framework and a prominent framework for approaching generative AI. In a GAN, two neural networks contest with each other in the form of a zero-sum game, where one agent's gain is another agent's loss. (This is the source of some AI images and deepfakes.)

Diffusion Models: Models that generate the probability distribution of a given dataset. In image generation, a neural network is trained to denoise images with added gaussian noise by learning to remove the noise. After the training is complete, it can then be used for image generation by starting with a random noise image and denoise that. (This is the more common technology behind AI images, including Dall-E and Stable Diffusion. I added this one to the post after as it was brought to my attention it is now more common than GANs.)

I know these terms are more technical, but they are also more accurate, and they can easily be explained in a way non-technical people can understand. The grifters are using language to give this technology its power, so we can use language to take it's power away and let people see it for what it really is.

#ai #scams #language #semiotics #machine learning

[jimmy-dipthong]

A prime example of words being only translatable within a given context is the word 国語. It's the word for the literary studies subject in Japanese schools, similar to the subject called "English" in english speaking schools. The question is - when you translate it, which part is more important? The fact that 国語 means "literary studies" or the fact that it means "japanese studies"?

Similarly, with the word 英語 (which literally means "the english language" and is the name of the english language subject at Japanese schools), you could choose to preserve its literal meaning as "english studies" or its meaning from a Japanese student's perspective as "foreign language studies".

Imagine the following exchange, where character A is being characterised as liking foreign language learning.

A: 次の授業なんだっけ？ B: 国語だよ。 A: えー　まじ？英語かと思った、国語は最悪。

Translation where 国語＝ "japanese studies", 英語＝"english studies"

A: What's our next class? B: Japanese. A: Seriously? I thought it was English, I hate Japanese.

Translation where 国語＝"literary studies", 英語＝"foreign language studies"

A: What's our next class? B: English. A: Seriously? I thought it was Spanish, I hate English.

It is impossible to choose which of the above translations is better without context. Even worse, without context, one of those translations will be objectively correct and one will be incorrect!!

Let's say the above line is from an anime set in a Japanese high school, and we're translating for subtitles. In that case, doing the literal translation of 国語 -> Japanese/英語 -> English is the only option - the characters are clearly Japanese, in a Japanese school, and literally speaking Japanese. This makes sense.

But on the other hand, let's say the above line is from an anime set in a US high school, and we're translating for dubs. In that case, translating 国語 -> English/英語 -> Spanish makes sense: these words don't represent the literal ideas of "Japanese" and "English", they represent the US equivalents of "literary studies" and "foreign language studies". Plus, since it's for dubs, the characters are speaking English - here 英語 means "foreign language" so it wouldn't make sense for it to be translated as "english".

This creates a weird situation in which a word can have two equally valid translations that are the complete opposite of each other, and which one is correct is entirely dependent on context.

The above two scenarios are quite unambiguous as to which translation should be used. But what are you supposed to do when it's less clear? What if the anime set in Japan was being dubbed instead? The characters and setting look Japanese, but they're literally speaking English. Does it make more sense to translate 国語 as "English" or "Japanese"? What if the setting isn't on earth? What if the characters aren't even human?

This word is an extreme example, but I wanted to use this to show how no word can be translated properly when taken out of context. Words ALWAYS appear in some sort of context, and you need to know this context to understand what the word means. Something to keep in mind when using multilingual dictionaries - in a dictionary every word is out of context, so tread carefully and make sure to check example sentences.

#linguistics #language learning #langblr #japanese language #japanese #language acquisition #language #learning japanese #semiotics #sorta #jimmy blogthong

[pratchettquotes]

"Hold on, hold on," said the Bursar. "Yes, indeed, figuratively a word is made up of individual letters but they have only a--" he waved his long fingers gracefully "--theoretical existence, if I may put it that way. They are, as it were, words partis in potentia, and it is, I'm afraid, unsophisticated in the extreme to imagine that they have any real existence unis et separato. Indeed, the very concept of letters having their own physical existence is, philosophically, extremely worrying. Indeed, it would be like noses and fingers running around the world all by themselves--"

That's three "indeeds," thought William, who noticed things like this. Three "indeeds" used by a person in one brief speech generally meant an internal spring was about to break.

Terry Pratchett, The Truth

#the bursar #william de worde #the truth #discworld #terry pratchett #academics #words #letters #linguistics #semiotics #language #philosophy #meaning #power #theoretical #wizards #magic #printing press #newspaper #extremely worrying #indeed #about to break

[dustrial-inc]

New Designs, New Heavy Tees dustrial.net

#dustrial #nothingsacred #glitch #code #art #semiotics #sigils for creativity #clvtch crux #mono #black and whit #vector #illustration #collage

[dailyhistoryposts]

On This Day In History

February 21st, 1958: The logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, broadly called the 'peace symbol', is designed by Gerald Holtom.

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament badge (1960s)

#history #world history #semiotics #peace #nuclear weapons

[garadinervi]

Roland Barthes, Signs and Images. Writings on Art, Cinema and Photography, Essays and Interviews, Volume 4, Translated by Chris Turner, Seagull Books, London, 2016

(on the way of Barthes Studies, via Jeremy Fernando)

#graphic design #semiology #semiotics #calligraphy #visual writing #book #cover #book cover #roland barthes #chris turner #barthes studies #jeremy fernando #seagull books #2010s

[supercomposite]

An academic article about Loab and the poststructuralist semiotics of AI text-to-image models was published in Religions today. Well worth reading, and I'll admit I cackled at the citation of my "Computers are like little houses for demons" tweet. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/812

#ai art #ai artwork #aiart #aiartists #ai #ai generated #art #horror art #horror #artificial intelligence #loab #macabre art #macabre #creepy #philosophy #semiotics #poststructuralism

[bobdobalina]

Thanks to the Wikipedia article on Long-term nuclear waste warning messages, lots of people know the "THIS PLACE IS NOT A PLACE OF HONOR" quote, but it occurred to me to look up the original document that it comes from, the 1993 report "Expert judgment on markers to deter inadvertent human intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant," by Trauth, Hora, & Guzowski of Sandia National Laboratories... and the whole thing is pretty fascinating.

Specifically, the famous quote and the pages above all come from the sub-report by "Team A," consisting of Dieter G. Ast (Cornell University), Michael Brill (Buffalo Organization for Social and Technological Innovation), Maureen F. Kaplan (Eastern Research Group), Ward H. Goodenough (University of Pennsylvania), Frederick J. Newmeyer (University of Washington), and Woodruff T. Sullivan, III (University of Washington). "Team B," I was surprised to notice, included astronomer Frank Drake (creator of the Drake Equation for estimating the changes of contacting extraterrestrial life).

The diagrams of possible construction options look a little bit like architectural plans, but also quite a bit like Dungeons & Dragons environment designs... and perhaps like the ruined architecture of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

#semiotics #this place is not a place of honor #nuclear waste #Long-term nuclear waste warning messages #architecture #nuclear semiotics #wikipedia #Sandia National Laboratories #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #Michael Brill

[retrogradepermaculture]

Shadow Work And The Sea | How the Signs Relate 🦭 ☆ 🌚 ☆ 🐳

the sea is governed by the moon and to a lesser extent by uranus, neptune, and pluto

how you relate to the sea can be how you relate to your emotions - and your shadow

🦋 aries - as a fire sign and the first sign of the zodiac it is relatively difficult to associate aries with the sea but when it's initiation of the zodiac is taken into consideration, it can be connected to the open ocean, the originator of waves and the weather that reaches the shore. What does this mean for Aries? As an initiator you may be drawn to physical boundaries such as the space between sea and shore at times in life when you are facing your own boundaries such as the start of a new job or school.

as the first sign all other signs come after or before you (as the zodiac is a circle) and thus the previous winter and past year can play a stronger influence in your shadow than for others signs. at these initiating points in life water like the ocean can also bring calming energy to temper your enthusiasm and add balance; this brings you closer to your emotions and is a good time and space to show you anything in your shadow that may hold you back in your new ventures.

🦋 taurus - for an earth sign, taurus can have a stronger connection to the ocean than may initially be expected and this is because you love beauty. whether it is fine or stormy or whether tropical or the fresh breezes of the celtic shore, you tend to seek out places for their beauty and feel best in these.

For shadow work, thinking of what you find beautiful vs what you find ugly both in yourself and other people can help you understand blockages and where they may come from. sometimes this can be hard, but shadow work is about venturing outside of your comfort zone. A good way to start is with the things that straddle a boundary - things about yourself where you feel beauty lies in imperfection.

🦋 gemini - your changeable nature allows you to be at home in multiple environments but did you know this can extend deeper?

Geminis can find themselves exploring liminal places such as abandoned buildings, the coastline, or the tops of cliffs. Yet this can find itself repeated as they flit from group to group or find themselves between worlds. You may have an unusual day job.

for shadow work, use this nature to your advantage. instead of immediately plumbing the depths for blockages, focus on the margins of your shadow such as feelings you always wished you had time for but haven't. you also find shadow work comes easiest at dawn and dusk.

🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚

🦋 cancer - you would love a cottage by the ocean, collecting shells and walking hand in hand barefoot with someone you love. but you may have a difficult time with your shadow as you are governed by your emotions of all kinds and thus the difficult ones seem amplified

being near calming energies that help balance these tempestuous waters can make shadow work easier. A warming fire, cosy library, mug of hot tea or warming cake can help you create a good environment for processing emotions.

🦋 leo - you may not naturally be at home by the sea but you certainly know how to use your emotions to your advantage - you may feel like you stand out emotionally but you also may enjoy this. yet your association of shadows and being in the limelight can lead you into drama. you only tend to like the sea on sunny days. stormy seas are not for you.

Uniquely amongst the signs you are great at recycling your shadow into a more positive image. Regrets are not for you. Think of the sea constantly bringing new water into the shore. You may have had moments that you weren't proud of but you know it's best to accept them and understand what they can teach you

🦋 - virgo - many of your most formative experiences may have happened by the ocean. as an earth sign you are not naturally in your element and thus the sea tends to interact with the elements of your chart that govern mysticism and unusual happenings. the sea brings out in you a less practical and more sensuous or emotional side.

When doing shadow work you may actually be surprised how much of this side fits within you. By embracing it you may discover clues as to undoing blockages. Often likely to be an Fe type like INFJ, ESFJ, ISFJ and ENFJ

🐬🦭🐳🐬🦭🐳🐬🦭🐳🐬🦭🐳🐬🦭🐳🐬🦭🐳

🦋 libra - a flat sea is the kind of thing that draws you near. you may have been scared of the ocean, storms, or going on boats when you were younger. As an adult you may prefer to watch the sea from a distance.

You may be slower to approach the ocean than those around you and you may also be slower with shadow work. this is not because you are scared of your shadow, but when investigating spiritual and emotional blockages you want to take all aspects into account.

🦋 - scorpio - like a storm chaser, you may have had a strange or morbid fascination with the sea at some point. whether it's looking through terrifying pictures of the ocean or an interest in shipwrecks, blue holes, or oceanic mysteries, the darker asoects of the sea exhibit a charismatic grip on your psyche.

Similarly you may be quite good at shadow work and finding blockages because of your interest in your own shadow. The best types for this - INFJ and INTJ.

🦋 sagittarius - although you are a fire sign you may prefer the sea to rivers, lakes, and swimming pools. you tend to be bold and athletic and this expresses itself in the water. you may enjoy watersports like surfing or stand up paddleboarding. you are generally bold and not scared of the ocean though.

Shadow work can work best for you when you are in a cleansing environment and so often qhen things get tough you may have an urge to run away from it all to somewhere where you can get outdoors and connect with nature

🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚

🦋 capricorn - you are not necessarily enticed by the sea in the way some other signs are. however in your earthy oreferences for staying indoors and the wintery light of warm fireplaces and old books, you are nevertheless fascinated by human endeavors surrounding the ocean. whether it is the fascinating creatures of it's depths or the stories of the worlds first human migrations or later people whl sailed solo around the world, you know a lot about the sea - but are happy to stay on dry land to learn it!

However, in your shadow lurks the urge to go beyond this and the times you may have suppressed that urge in order to follow tradition as is most comfortable for you. You don't have to be a world famous adventurer or digital nomad. But breaking outside of tradition and your comfort zone can break spiritual blocks in ways nothing else can for you.

🦋 aquarius

despite being an air sign you have a direct and emotional connection with water as your sign is quite literally the water carrier. and this moniker can indeed affect the patterns that have shown up in your life. you may end up 'carrying' water, other peoples' or your own, besring their emotions or doing the bulk of the most creative and intuitive work in some situations.

The sea can have a calming and healing influence on your psyche as it is a place that can inspire you but also enxourage your revolutionary and creative instincts, which fuel your ability to work with your shadow. whether it is long walks on the beach alone or travelling to new destinations, the freshness, majesty and depth of the ocean helps you balance your creative energy and the emotions - both your own and those of people around you

🦋 pisces - moody pisces may have an interesting relationship with the ocean; as water rules your sign any experiences surrounding it are bound to be intense. the ocean can bring up complex and difficult feelings like nostalgia, wistfulness, and existential thoughts.

Like cancer you can be very affected by your environment. The weather affects your mood. Doing shadow work or days that are too 'happy' bright sun etc or too sad (storms, torrential rain) can throw you out of sync. shadow work with friends or a good book on a crisp clear autumn morning, summer evening, or spring day can be a lot easier. can be INFP, INTP, or ENFP.

#dark academia #dark academic aesthetic #astrology #astroblr #astro observations #semiotics #dream symbolism #joseph campbell #carl jung #myers briggs #tarotblr #infp #enfp #intj #infj #intp #entp #isfp #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer the crab #leo star sign #libra #virgo #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

[noosphe-re]

Daoist nuclear trigram and hexagram models (Zhuangzi, Peirce, and the butterfly dreamscape: concentric meaning in the Qiwulun 齊物論, Jamin Pelkey, Toronto Metropolitan University)

#Daoism #Taoism #Tao #hexagram #I Ching #China #semiotics #linguistics #Jamin Pelkey

[prokopetz]

These are opposite poles of an extremely specific spectrum.

#media #movie #television #memes #semiotics #spoons #rejected #don hertzfeldt #santa clarita diet #food mention

[tompuschautz]

Medieval Times. Acrylic on Plexiglass

#artists on tumblr #trippy #magical #Bosch #medieval art #occult art #symbols #semiotics #contemporaryart #illustration #grunge #sketchbook #dark art #acryliquepainting #painting #nature #bats #mythology #starfish #egyptian mythology #contemporary illustration #swords #mixed media #lowbrow art #popsurrealism #chicago imagists #cryptoids #medieval times #my art

[jareckiworld]

Roberto Matta (1911-2002) — Man Comes from the Sign  [oil, canvas, 1975] 

#Roberto Matta #chilean art #french art #figurative abstraction #semiotics

[superbeeny]

I think an aspect to why the parental death scenes in Bambi, Land Before Time, or Lion King hit hard despite having only G-rated violence is because the child characters are voiced by actual children. Kid viewers get immersed further if the character reads as a kid like themselves, and the sound of a child in pain (even if it’s pretend) just hits a primal, ‘must protect’ part of an average adult’s brain. Basically, child cartoon characters being voice acted by actual children makes their ‘childness’ less abstract and more visceral, and that makes the sad moments more disturbing.  

#bambi #disney #land before time #lion king #don bluth #voice acting #semiotics #semiotics of cartoon characters #movies #animated film

[dustrial-inc]

⅃ЯTꙄᗡ TRIͶITY 202-2008180505

#CYBERPUNK #VECTOR ART #SEMIOTICS #TRINITY #DUSTRIAL DESIGN #DESIGN #BIODUSTRIAL