< Notes...

When someone joins, that person puts in $30,000 CAD ($22,000 USD) to cover a down payment (this is returned if they leave). The total monthly mortgage payment is $2,433 CAD, which the residents split, along with utilities. There are provisions to help applicants who need financial help, Suek said. And each resident pitches in $70 CAD a week for food.

Ageing isn’t fun, no matter what anyone tells you. What these women have done is pretty neat! It allows them to continue growing older in company. And that is a good thing, as it is known that elders living along have an increased mortality rate.

I have noted about sponsoring, and donating before. I recently came across this organisation, while reading about Yolanthe Cabau because of a Dutch movie Horsie was watching.

Every day, children around the world are trafficked, deceived, and forced into sexual exploitation. Free a Girl works to rescue these children and provide them with a safe place to recover. Together with local partners, we conduct undercover missions, support police investigations, and build long-term change — from protection to the prosecution of perpetrators.

You will agree that it is another worthy cause. A one time $25 will not make us that much poorer. What say you?

Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network.

In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome.

I am afraid that was not my last note, and I apologise. This one sure is, on this specific issue. The above from OpenAI’s CEO, just hours after Anthropic’s statement. What would make the DoW reach an agreement with OpenAI, after declaring Anthropic a “supply chain risk”? I’d leave that as an exercise to the reader. Yes, I am announcing my departure. ChatGPT app removed from everywhere, OpenAI account deleted. Good riddance.

The news of the attack on Iran greeted me as I woke up at 05:00, having been going on for 3 hours or so already. So it began.

We are the employees of Google and OpenAI, two of the top AI companies in the world

We hope our leaders will put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War’s current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight.

That warms my heart! I hope things do not get dicey, and that this is the last note I write about it.

The Department of War has stated they will only contract with AI companies who accede to “any lawful use” and remove safeguards in the cases mentioned above. They have threatened to remove us from their systems if we maintain these safeguards; they have also threatened to designate us a “supply chain risk”—a label reserved for US adversaries, never before applied to an American company—and to invoke the Defense Production Act to force the safeguards’ removal. These latter two threats are inherently contradictory: one labels us a security risk; the other labels Claude as essential to national security.

The above is from Dario Amodei’s statement on Anthropic’s discussions with the Department of Defense. As I told a mate on IRC, if the DoD finds a less scrupulous AI company to abide to their will, things could get dicey pretty quickly.

Update: 12 Mar 2026 @ 11:21:46

Because I forgot to come here at the time to note it, they got “a less scrupulous AI company to abide to their will”.

I know this isn’t new. It comes from 2024. Yet, it was never noted here by me. This intents to correct that mistake.

“I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild myself, how I’m going to get over all this […] I don’t know if my life will be long enough to get back on my feet,” explained Gisèle Pelicot, 71, adding that she had decided to lift the closed-door nature of the trial so that “all women who (are) victims of rape can say to themselves ‘Ms. Pelicot did it, we can do it.’ I don’t want them to feel ashamed anymore. The shame isn’t ours to feel, it’s theirs. (…) Above all, I’m expressing my will and determination to change this society.” — Le Monde

Gisèle Pelicot is our hero. ❤️

Created in China, transported in pieces, and assembled on site at the Burning Man festival in 2018, this steel sculpture, “Desert Guard”, stood over 30’ tall. Assembling a multi-ton steel sculpture in the harsh desert environment required an intense, collaborative effort, and the piece became one of the standout art installations of that year’s event. It certainly looked impressive!

Thrive in obscurity
https://www.jeetmehta.com/ →

If you’re in it purely for the promised land of love, praise, followers, and fame from millions of people – it’s impossible to sustain. In every field, it takes years of practice, repetition, and “failed performances” before the first hit. In the worst case, artists go their entire life without ever receiving the praise they deserved. Look at Van Gogh – an incredible artist who died unappreciated & broke, in a mental asylum. All of his fame came after his death.

Feels.

The expression “this isn’t an airport, no need to announce your departure” is used quite often, when people—often in rage—quits an online platform, telling everyone they are doing so. Yet, today I read the justification for doing so from someone leaving Nextdoor (a neighbourhood Facebook look alike):

For me, sharing my departure is simply about transparency and awareness. Platforms constantly analyze user activity, engagement patterns, and retention. If participation quietly stops, it becomes just another data point. When people openly express why they disengage, it provides something far more useful than silence.

I think that makes perfect sense, don’t you think?

If there is a white line covering the width of the road at that “entrance” of the parking lot you are trying to use, you are going the wrong way. If you see cars parked oblique both sides, and their front faces you, you are going the wrong way. Every bloody time I go to the grocery I encounter cars going the wrong way, when I am trying to leave. Tonight’s gave me the finger and all. The audacity.

I feel we are witnessing the crumbling of society. Not just that minor, albeit annoying, detail. It’s everything.

I dreamt we launched seven nuclear-armed missiles, and that they had reached their targets: one hit China, one hit Russia. The rest I don’t know, or can’t recall, but I clearly remember the apprehension I felt while waiting for the certain, imminent retaliation.

I don’t want a nightmare like that again.

I visited a prison yesterday. Spent most of the day on the road, driving to the middle of nowhere, and then visiting an inmate for as long as it was possible. Prisons are very, very sad places, where people spend chunks of their lives at a time confined, according to their punishment. Some simply spend the rest of their lives in them.

It is interesting to see the camaraderie that forms amongst the regular visitors; in a way they are a big family. They all have a loved one behind bars binding them together: husbands, fathers, sons, closed family, friends. Each with a story, and each cared for enough to merit visits, with some visitors often traveling from far, far away.

I don’t have a solution for correcting people for their wrongdoings. Based on what I have experienced so far, prisons are not. At least not the way they are run today, or around here.

After my dad died, we found the love letters
https://www.jenn.site →

“My parents were not a love match. At 27 and 26, they were embarrassingly old by the standards of their small chinese port town. All four of my grandparents exerted enormous pressure to force them together.”

That blog post was hard to read. I couldn’t help feeling sad for the OP, their mum, their family. It left me feeling very melancholic.

Typhoon Fung-wong has devastated the Philipines, leaving death, displacement, and destruction along its path. The “tired adage” comes true once more, and more than ever the need for help.

“The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.”

The equivalent of one week of your sugary drinks can mean life for a family. Every donation helps, no matter how little. Please consider donating a little today.

“It really isn’t hard to forge connections with people. More often than not, I have found myself laughing with a complete stranger in spite of our lack of a common language. I have been invited into people’s homes based on gestures alone. I have negotiated prices by showing banknotes and adding or removing some until we agreed on the value. And more than once, finding myself broken and in despair, the glimpse of a child’s smile helped me to mend.”

I have been mulling a note about our trip to Japan in 2024. It will come. Meanwhile this article I found poked my memories’ nest, and my ageing heart picked up some extra beats.

➝ Via Kottke.

I have worried a couple of times about the fate of Blue, a fellow stranger. They are still as they were; no new thoughts, a quiet place since end of May. Instead of thinking negatively, I am going to assume they found happiness, and peace, and love, in that beautiful archipelago that’s called The Philippines. Who, who lives in bliss, needs to write down thoughts?

I have noted on this topic before. I know we can’t help—monetarily—everyone, but an occassional small donation to a good cause, multiplied by millions of us doing it, has an impact. Today I have chosen Médecins Sans Frontières.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is an international humanitarian organization that provides essential medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or those excluded from healthcare. Their teams offer impartial, high quality care, guided solely by medical ethics and an independent assessment of needs, often working in challenging and dangerous contexts worldwide.

If you can live without a cup of coffee for a day, or for a week, please consider donating today.

Not going to lie, truly worried about the fate of known strangers. Where in the world is Blue? Does anyone knows?

Blue hasn’t dropped a note/thought since May 2025, and I am starting to worry. I don’t know them, I simply care. Can’t help it.

There is misery in the world; there is suffering, there is hunger, there is abuse. We do unimaginable things to ourselves and to others. As individuals, we can’t help everyone, but picking a cause to support—just one!—will go a long way. Truly, every little bit counts.

We deliver life-saving aid and protection in emergencies, advocate for improved asylum laws and systems so displaced people can access their rights, and help find long-term solutions so they can return home once safe to do so or build a future in a new country. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality so they can access basic rights, such as education and health care.

I have noted about this before for causes I have contributed. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, is one I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Now, more than ever, is a good time to donate to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Take a stance, help others, make a difference. Every human is our family.

We take action, not sides. Because we are neutral, impartial and independent, we can reach those who need us when others cannot, providing humanitarian assistance, protecting lives, upholding rights, and relieving the suffering of people around the world whose lives have been torn apart by armed conflict and violence.

You could also sponsor a child, or help so that lifesaving treatments are provided for them. I know a single individual can’t help everyone, our resources are limited. Pick one, donate a small amount. Every little thing helps!

Absolutely gut wrenching, horrible airplane accident in Ahmedabad, India. Words aren’t enough, so sorry…

“An Air India flight carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed shortly after taking off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday. There was no immediate information about survivors, but India’s health minister said “many people” had died.”

Update: 27 Feb 2026 @ 20:06:20

Only 1 person is been reported to have survived . After seeing the video of the explosion, it is genuily amazing one person could have survived it.

Kathleen and Roxanne are the residents across the hall from Dad’s room. Unlike Dad and Roxanne, who have family coming to see them, Kathleen is all alone. She spends all her days inside her room—well, she strolls around in her wheelchair but never ventures outside the building—all by herself.

For that reason alone, we have “adopted” her. We can’t take her outside but, when we visit bố, I spend time conversing with her. We buy her cupcakes—we deliver a bunch of those to others, but she gets hers without fail. She likes popcorn and Diet Coke, so she gets them too. This year we celebrated her birthday—hat, card, cake, and singing—which she said hadn’t happened for a long time. It made us sad but happy to be able to do it.

That EOE has to be spelled out, and made a law, is sad, and speaks very poorly about the human condition.

“An “equal opportunity employer” (EOE) is a business that pledges not to discriminate against employees or job applicants based on characteristics like race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. This means that job decisions, including hiring, firing, promotions, and pay, are made without regard to these characteristics.”

This one was too good to pass up. Found in the Fediverse.

It has always puzzled me how society expects older people to “behave their age”. Why? Why the degrading of our cells, our physical and mental decline, has to change who we are? If we saw people past their age, and let them be them, the world would be a happier place.

Our neighbour Vijai called me tonight. He said he needed my help, and explained what it was, but I couldn’t understand him well. I don’t refuse helping someone, specially a neighbour, so it didn’t matter, I went over to see what he needed.

His wife and son are out of the country, and Vijay is a heavy old man, with arthritis on his hands. His air conditioning drainage line was overflowed, thus not working, and he needed help pumping it out. No air conditioning in this state almost means certain death, poor guy! I have drained our AC a few times before, so it was easy for me to help him. He was very apologetic, but I told him not to worry. “If you need me, Vijai, just call. No biggies.”

Similar to one of my previous notes, this one aims to call attention to a worthy cause.

St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Their researchers and doctors work together to turn laboratory breakthroughs into lifesaving treatments for children from across the United States and around the world. And with your support, St. Jude can provide cutting-edge treatments at no cost to families — so they can focus on helping their child live.

Please consider donating the potential gift of life to a little one.

I remember, with sadness and constricted heart, the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima (today, 79 years ago), and Nagasaki.

We are definitely different from the bad people in history.

The immoral fools tricked by Hitler into saluting the iron cross and casting their votes in favour of genocide, the spiritually corrupt slave traders of the colonies in Africa, the Europeans pillaging and raping (culturally and literally) the indigenous people of the “new worlds” of America, Australia, etc; the brilliant geniuses talked into developing the atom bomb, the monsters who then dropped those bombs over Japan in the name of peace.

We are definitely different from them.

The most efficient systematic slaughter of sentient beings the planet has ever seen, the complete indifference to the ecocide required for our day-to-day lives, the endless belief in infinite growth on a finite planet, the quantification of all that is sacred into mere resources and business opportunities, the utter carelessness toward the world our children will inherit. All this we manage to stand for in the name of progress and humankind’s superiority over all others.

No, we are definitely different.

We are worse.

This, from the Punkist, summarises how we—humankind—are no different at all, in the various stages of what’s considered, more or less, modern times. I slightly formatted it for legibility.

Sponsoring a child is investing in humankind’s future. It can mean saving a child from abuse, neglect, or worse. For less than a tank of petrol per month one can make a big difference in a child’s life!

Children growing up in poverty begin life with acute disadvantage and face uncertain futures. Your monthly gift of $39 will give your sponsored child life-changing interventions, such as access to medical care, educational support, life skills and job training before graduation.

Please consider sponsoring a child today through Children International, a secular nonprofit.

Moscow said last year it planned to spend almost $30 billion by 2035 on developing the northern sea route, which has become more viable as climate change has reduced sea ice in the Arctic.

Emphasis mine. Russia is benefiting from global warming, and now more pollution is on its way. Well, that’s great </s>!

Naomi Wu is my new hero. This video converted me to her.

Local temperatures (in Celsius). Lovely, just lovely. We are not harming our planet, no. Not happening, nothing to see here, right?

Wow, this is very disturbing. The thing is, it is bound to get worse, and we are doing little to nothing about it.

“Monday was the world’s hottest day on record, exceeding an average of 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time, according to initial measurements taken on Tuesday by US meteorologists.”

➝ Via Hacker News.