"In October 19, 1878, Scientific American published a series of pictures depicting a horse in full gallop, along with instructions to view them through the zoetrope. The photos were taken by an English photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, to settle a bet between California businessman Leland Stanford and his colleagues. Stanford contended that at some point in a horse's stride, all four hooves were off the ground. He enlisted Muybridge to take photographs of the positions of a horse's hooves in rapid succession. Muybridge's 12 pictures showed that Stanford had won the bet." I'm always disappointed when Stanford wins, but this piece of motion picture history—known as The Horse in Motion—is worth noting as we gallop toward a new form of video powered by AI. It would have been hard for anyone who saw the limited horsepower of that early example of motion pictures to envision our bufferless era of Netflix and chill. Hell, even the founders of Netflix didn't envision that when they first started mailing out DVDs. So grab your popcorn and find your seat, because today's examples of AI-created video are already hard to believe, and we're not even through the opening credits. There will be a lot of cool uses for this technology. But if we want the cool stuff to have a greater impact than the bad stuff, we're gonna need a bigger horseshoe. WaPo (Gift Article) with a look at the trailer for our cinematic future. The future of AI video is here, super weird flaws and all. Yes, some of the flaws are weird (especially the smoking scene). But this is early and they'll be ironed out and we're gonna have to figure out how to deal with directors who want to use this tech to create an alternate reality for nefarious ends. (Maybe I'm just projecting.) 2Commitment IssuesThe Michigan primaries were stress-inducing for both parties. Trump continued to show an inability to break beyond his base. And Biden was weighed down by more than 100,000 Michiganders who voted "uncommitted" to protest against his Israel/Gaza policies. A few quick thoughts on that protest vote. First, voters have the right to be angry, frustrated, and saddened by what's going on in Gaza, but if this uncommitted movement extends to the general election and helps elect the treacherous architect of the Muslim ban (and Bibi's dream candidate), then its organizers should be committed. Second, it's worth keeping in mind that Biden's primary job when it comes to the Middle East crisis is keeping it from spreading into a wider regional and even global war that could threaten the lives of Americans. And on that score, he's managed to do a pretty good job. Third, there's an element that has been completely lost in all the protests calling for a ceasefire: The monstrous terror organization that started this war with acts of murder, rape, and kidnapping have thus far refused to agree to a ceasefire. NYT: Hamas Rejects Cease-Fire Proposal, Dashing Biden’s Hopes of Near Term Deal. 3Ad Nauseam"A new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy suggests that the 'greenest' car in America may not be fully electric. The nonprofit group, which has rated the pollution from vehicles for decades, says the winning car this year is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a plug-in hybrid that can go 44 miles on electricity before switching to hybrid." WaPo (Gift Article): The ‘greenest’ car in America might surprise you. (I drive a plug-in hybrid and I need to get gas about only once every three months or so. The key is to be vigilant about plugging it in and to hate leaving your house.) 4This Race Should Be Called A Dry Heat"A sharp hiss filled the room as a competitor ladled four cups of water over a hot pile of black sauna rocks. Steam spiraled above our heads. Calm set in — briefly. Three minutes were on the clock. In this small wooden sauna, a team of 14 semi-clad people in costumes squeezed in, including two in wigs and four Zorros. At exactly three minutes, everyone tumbled out, found their robes, and set out in the snow searching for the next stop in the winter race." At Europe’s sauna marathon, schvitzing is a sport. I finally found my sport. 5Extra, ExtraResting Mitch Face: "Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November." The next leader may not be as effective at getting what they want, but they'll be a hell of a lot more Trumpy. 6Bottom of the NewsOompa Loompa doompadee doo, I've got another puzzle for you. Oompa Loompa doompa dah dee, If you are wise you'll listen to me. Wonka is a movie, it's not real life. Wanting it to to be will only bring strife. Stay in your house, don't waste your cash. If you want sweets, just order DoorDash. A Willy Wonka-inspired experience ‘scam’ was so bad that people called the cops. NextDraft is Better With Friends. Hit the Beagles to Share.
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Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity's must-read rundown of what's up on Beacon Hill and beyond. Jan 09, 2024 View in browser By Kelly Garrity and Lisa Kashinsky MAKING ENDS MEET — Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to slash $375 million from the state budget to help plug a $1 billion revenue hole came as something of a surprise after she initially said she had no plans to scale back spending. But some budget watchers say the move to control costs was inevitable — and that the governor...
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