Hattons’ partying 🎊 on Nepean River Bella
- Like fine wine, we get better with age. Or maybe we just feel better about our age with lots of wine. Ha Australian National Living Treasure Happy 90th Birthday!
Articles of Note
As a young man, Adam Kirsch didn't turn to George Michael and Madonna to learn about sex and sin. He turned to opera... more »
New Books
“The problem of the world is this,” Orwell told a friend late in life. “Can we get men to behave decently to each other if they no longer believe in God?”... more »
Essays & Opinions
Art critics seem less and less interested in art and more and more interested in money. Consider the triumph of Kehinde Wiley... more »
When The World Ends With A Whimper
"I like to imagine that I would survive, thrive even, conveniently forgetting that my life of indoor pursuits, reading, writing, and streaming drama box sets whilst ordering pizza, has probably not provided me with the skills I’d need." - LitHub
Yup — Using Big Words Doesn’t Make You Sound Smarter
“Complexity neither disguised the shortcomings of poor essays, nor enhanced the appeal of high-quality essays.” In other words, George Orwell got it right: “Never use a long word where a short one will do.” - Big Think
Breathe - Becky Hemsley
She sat at the back
and they said she was shy,
she led from the front
and they hated her pride.
They asked her advice
and then questioned her guidance,
they branded her loud
then were shocked by her silence.
When she shared no ambition
they said it was sad,
so she told them her dreams
and they said she was mad.
They told her they’d listen
then covered their ears,
and gave her a hug while
they laughed at her fears.
And she listened to all of it
thinking she should,
be the girl they told her to be
best as she could.
But one day she asked
what was best for herself,
instead of trying
to please everyone else.
So she walked to the forest
and stood with the trees,
she heard the wind whisper
and dance with the leaves.
She spoke to the willow,
the elm and the pine,
and she told them what she’d
been told time after time.
She told them she felt
she was never enough,
she was either too little
or far far too much.
Too loud or too quiet,
too fierce or too weak,
too wise or too foolish,
too bold or too meek.
Then she found a small clearing
surrounded by firs,
and she stopped…and she heard
what the trees said to her.
And she sat there for hours
not wanting to leave,
for the forest said nothing
it just let her breathe.
She sat at the back
and they said she was shy,
she led from the front
and they hated her pride.
They asked her advice
and then questioned her guidance,
they branded her loud
then were shocked by her silence.
When she shared no ambition
they said it was sad,
so she told them her dreams
and they said she was mad.
They told her they’d listen
then covered their ears,
and gave her a hug while
they laughed at her fears.
And she listened to all of it
thinking she should,
be the girl they told her to be
best as she could.
But one day she asked
what was best for herself,
instead of trying
to please everyone else.
So she walked to the forest
and stood with the trees,
she heard the wind whisper
and dance with the leaves.
She spoke to the willow,
the elm and the pine,
and she told them what she’d
been told time after time.
She told them she felt
she was never enough,
she was either too little
or far far too much.
Too loud or too quiet,
too fierce or too weak,
too wise or too foolish,
too bold or too meek.
Then she found a small clearing
surrounded by firs,
and she stopped…and she heard
what the trees said to her.
And she sat there for hours
not wanting to leave,
for the forest said nothing
it just let her breathe.
Tina Turner Brought Rock & Roll Back Home To Black Women. "Black women could be rock stars because Tina Turner said so. Black women could be country singers."
How Does Humor Intersect With Grief and Fear?
Last week, popular YouTuber, author, and science communicator Hank Green announced that he had cancer (very treatable Hodgkin's lymphoma). His video announcement was part of a series of back-and-forth videos he does with his brother John Green, popular YouTuber and novelist. John replied to Hank's video with a short one of his own, noting that humor is one way that people deal with grief but also a way in which we can accompany people through tough times.
Thomson Reuters brings forward vision to redefine the future of professionals with content-driven AI technology Copilot helps unlock the value of generative AI for legal professionals a global content and technology company, today brings forward its vision to redefine the future of professionals through generative artificial intelligence (AI).
At a time of rapid global innovation, Thomson Reuters is at the forefront, helping its customers unlock the potential to automate workflows, provide powerful insights, and drive efficiencies with content-driven AI technology. Following Thomson Reuters announcement that it intends to invest more than $100 million annually on AI capabilities at its Q1 FY23 results, the company also today announces a new plugin with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft’s advanced AI experiences across its productivity suite.
This integration will bolster efforts for redefined professional work starting with legal research, drafting, and client collaboration.“
- See also via YouTube: Joshua Kubicki – Short video talking about the impact of how embedded generative AI will influence lawyers’ work. Based on Microsoft Build’s demo of Thomson Reuters’ demo of Copilot in reviewing a legal contract. Also shows the Thomson Reuters demo of the same scenario.”
- See also Ars Technica – Built-in ChatGPT-driven Copilot will transform Windows 11 starting in June. Copilot is coming alongside another batch of new Windows 11 features this year.
- See also immigration lawyer Greg Siskind – I am testing an AI summarization tool using GPT4. Here’s a summary of the new 500 page Dignity Act immigration bill introduced today – https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:60ec300f-c0a7-3f24-b536-b0cf2f7ff630. The whole bill is at https://files.constantcontact.com/1849eea4801/6a9b029d-5eaa-4f7a-8ece-0fb89eaeb9b3.pdf.
