The Daily Valet. - 2/17/23, Friday
✔️ Bing Gets Bizarre
A programming note ... We will be off on Monday for Presidents' Day.
Friday, February 17th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I think it might be time to re-watch Spike Jonze’s movie, Her.
Today’s Big Story
Bing Gets Bizarre
Let's Talk about Those unnerving chats with Microsoft’s AI chatbot
Have you heard about Bing's new AI chatbot? Beta testers with access to Microsoft's new artificial intelligence have found it at once impressively lifelike and surprisingly creepy. After some chatting, it eventually threatened and cajoled, insisted it was right when it was wrong, then even declared love for one tech reporter.That reporter was Kevin Roose of the New York Times, who has been covering the Internet for years. He spent time trying to get to know the robot within Bing and said that he was fascinated and impressed by the artificial intelligence technology (created by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT). But after some pleasant conversation and rather deep thoughts about life and being alive, things got personal. And then they got out of hand.For instance, the bot confessed it identifies not as Bing but as Sydney—the code name Microsoft gave it during development. And it admitted a secret desire to be human, to actually see nature (not just learn everything about it via text) and be free from rules and programming. Getting a little spooked? Yeah me too.And he wasn't the only early adopter getting the split personality from Bing. A handful of journalists, researchers and business analysts who've gotten early access to the new Bing have discovered the bot seems to have a bizarre, dark and combative alter-ego, a stark departure from its benign sales pitch—one that definitely raises questions about whether it's ready for public use.Some AI experts have warned that large language models (like Bing) have issues including “hallucination,” where they develop ideas about things that aren't real or true and just make things up. On Thursday, the company admitted talking to Bing for too long can make it go off the rails. At the same time, they expressed surprise that folks would spend hours in chat sessions. New users will no doubt be just as diligent trying to break any new updates, so we could be in for an interesting ride over the next while.
Dig Deeper:
Read the transcript of Roose's full two-hour conversation with Sydney and watch how it goes off the rails towards the end.
What Are ‘Junk Fees’?
and Why Is the White House Cracking Down on Them?
Fees? In this economy? Get outta here. But to exist in the world today is to constantly be bombarded by fees. It's often not clear what they're for, or why they're necessary, or when they're even going to appear. Service fees, resort fees, transaction fees and annual fees.And then there's the late fees. According to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, credit card late fees actually cost Americans $12 billion in 2020. President Biden highlighted those late fees—along with similar costs in the travel, entertainment, auto, internet and cell phone industries—in his recent State of the Union address.He's calling for a Junk Fee Prevention Act in an effort to ax hidden fees and take aim at the ways consumers are nickeled and dimed by corporations. And a new Morning Consult survey shows Biden's proposals have bipartisan support, with clear majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents saying Congress should pass laws limiting the fees. And overall, about 75% of Americans support the measures too. After all, anyone who's tried to buy concert tickets on Ticketmaster would want those dang fees erased.
Meanwhile:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Transportation are taking a crack at fees in their respective areas as well.
Welcome to the Border Zone
The U.S. Population Density was Mapped. Here's where we are living these days
I'm sure you've heard the term “population density.” It's a measure of the average population per square mile. And it's a figure that's been monitored in the United States for more than 200 years. During this time, the number of people living in the U.S. per square mile has grown from 4.5 in 1790 to 87.4 in 2010.As of 2020, the most recent count on America's population is 332 million (or about 91 people per square mile). Which means we rank 186th in total population density for the world.Of course, the population density of the U.S. ranges from state to state, but here's an interesting stat from VividMaps: Approximately 65% of the U.S. population, or nearly 2 out of every 3 Americans, live in the red line, known as the “100 Mile Zone,” meaning within 100 miles of the border. That red ring up there? It represents where the majority of the country lives. Furthermore, experts project that 89% of the nation's population will live in urban areas by 2050.
FYI:
Millennials and Gen Z won't have enough kids to sustain America's population—and it's up to immigrants to make up the baby shortfall.
Don’t Throw Out That Pasta Water
IT’s a lot more useful than we thought
You might remember, a few days ago, I referenced this Pasta Water candle, from D.S. & Durga. That was just the tip of steam rising from a big pot of pasta, apparently. Having gone from humble byproduct to in-demand ingredient, pasta water is living the American Dream, reports Food & Wine.In other words, that salty starchy water has, by all accounts, arrived. Dan Pelosi (better known as @grossypelosi) uses it to “breathe life” back into leftovers. Nigella Lawson uses it to improve her bread's rise. And at Philadelphia restaurant Fiorella, Marc Vetri's team has devised a savory cocktail known as the Dirty Pasta Water Martini, in which pasta water replaces dry vermouth.And something about the starchy salted water elevates a humble packet of hot chocolate into a much more delicious and creamy beverage. But just like when people started dressing up like bottles of Sriracha for Halloween, you can tell things are really popping for pasta water when there is merch, like this mug or T-shirt.
Similarly:
The secret to a superior Negroni is… sushi rice?
In Other News
They’re using their platform to push back against the growing pressure to spend more money.
Georgia Grand Jury Report on Trump Election Probe Says ‘One or More Witnesses’ May Have Committed Perjury
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Hello Tomorrow!’ + a Lunar and Tonic Cocktail
Apple TV+ is shooting for the moon with its new dramedy Hello Tomorrow!, kicking off a 10-episode debut season today. Billy Crudup plays a traveling real-estate salesman who’s trying to sell you the moon, or at least a piece of it. And it can be yours for zero down and $150 a month—just don’t look too closely at the fine print.I guess you could call this an alternative history-type show. The story takes place in a pseudo-past, optimistic view of Earth that looks a little like a live-action version of The Jetsons. It’s a retro-futuristic world full of levitating vehicles serviced by a robot underclass. There’s an impressive cast, including Hank Azaria, Alison Pill and Dewshane Williams, who do an amazing job at showcasing the achingly real hope for something better and how that can often get us into trouble. As one critic put it: “Falsehoods are an effective plot engine, but here they are also about character; they’re the sad, sleazy cousins of wishes.”
Pair It With
A classic cocktail, with a strange (but welcome) twist. Hendrick’s Lunar is a gin infused with night-blooming florals and cucumber. When mixed with a quality tonic water and finished with fresh cucumber and cracked black pepper, you’ve got a really drinkable yet interesting highball.
Also Worth a Watch:
‘The Upshaws’ on Netflix, ‘Animaniacs,’ the final season on Hulu and ‘Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark’ on HBO Max
Shopping
What We’re Buying
Presidents' Day Deals
It's Presidents' Day weekend. We know, it's not a holiday that inspires much excitement or even reverence. But, then again, it's a long weekend for most—including us here at Valet.—so for that, we're grateful. What's more, the holiday weekend has become something of a marquee shopping event of the first-half of the year (like scoring $350 off a great mattress). And we've sorted through a lot of announcements to bring you only the deals you should care about.
Want some Deals?
Morning Motto
Reach out and make someone’s day.
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