Eric Schuurman - Eric Schuurman

YouTube Channel – Featured

Eric Schuurman’s featured animations and video from his YouTube channel:

-Edison Prague
-ChatGPT 4o and Processing
-ChatGPT 4o/Processing Lesson Doodles
-Generative AI Embedded in 3D Fractals
-Songs by Eric Schuurman

I create immersive visuals and music using combinations of:

-Generative AI
-Resolume
-3D Fractals
-Blender 3D and Compositing
-Processing Programming Language
-Music Composition

My tools are Generative AI, Blender 3D/Compositing, Resolume VJ software, Mandelbulber 3D Fractals, Logic DAW, and ChatGPT 4o with the Processing visuals-oriented programming language. AI gives me surreal imagery. Blender 3D lets me stage AI scenes, and create photorealistic models. Blender compositing lets me embed AI in Mandelbulber 3D fractals. Processing generates elegant graphics and programming functionality. Resolume lets me process video and stills using kaleidoscopic, high-energy VJ FX, and to display them in immersive environments using projectors and LED panels.

Lighthouse/Bridge 3D and AI

In this test I create lighthouse and bridge primitives in a Blender 3D source animation, audition artist styles in Kaiber AI, then render 4 variations using the source animation in the style of the selected artist.

Here is a frame rendered from the source animation in Blender 3D. Note the absence of detail:

Here are test renders from Kaiber using the same prompt in the style of 8 different artists recognized by Stable Diffusion:

Based on the tests, I chose the animation prompt to render in the style of the artist Ismail Inceoglu.

Below is the source Blender animation with the lighthouse and bridge primitives shown with minimal detail:

These were generated using variations of the original prompt with some different imagery text and image weighting:

Prompt:
Zooming in we see a (bridge in ruins:1.5) at night illuminated by a lighthouse whose golden beam sweeps across a bay blanketed in (deep rolling fog:1.8) in the style of Ismail Inceoglu.

Prompt:
Zooming in we see a (bridge in ruins:1.5) illuminated by a (lighthouse:1.1) whose (beam sweeps:1.6) across a bay blanketed in (deep rolling fog:1.7) in the style of Ismail Inceoglu.

Prompt:
Zooming in we see a (bridge in ruins:1.5) illuminated by a lighthouse whose (beam sweeps:1.7) across a bay blanketed in (deep rolling fog:1.7) as (dark ships:1.5) linger in the distance with their (lights flickering:1.5) in the style of Ismail Inceoglu.

Prompt:
Zooming in we see a (bridge in ruins:1.5) watched over by a lighthouse whose (beam circles across a fog blanketed bay:1.4) as the (moon glows mysteriously:1.4) in the black night sky in the style of Ismail Inceoglu.

LET’S LEARN BLENDER! – BY BORNCG

Let’s Learn Blender! #1: Getting Started for Beginners!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:15 – What Blender is used for
– 0:26 – Where to Get Blender for free!: http://www.blender.org
– 0:59 – Quick Setup Area & Left-Click Select
– 1:45 – Blender’s Interface Layout: Editors
– 2:12 – The 3D Viewport Editor
– 2:58 – Navigating in 3D Space: Zooming, Orbiting, & Panning
– 5:02 – Views (front, sides, top, etc) + view keyboard shortcuts & perspective vs orthographic
– 7:42 – Selecting & Transforming (Toolbar Tools & Gizmos)
– 9:46 – Transforming with Keyboard shortcuts (grab/rotate/scale)
– 12:51 – Transform Modifier Keys
– 15:39 – Adding Objects! (Mesh Objects: Cubes, Spheres, Cones, and Suzanne the monkey head!)
– 17:16 – Selecting Objects & Selection Tools, the A key & Alt-A, & Median Point
– 18:37 – The 3D Cursor & Snap Pie Menu
– 20:32 – Saving 3D Files!
– 21:25 – Outro + Social Media

Let’s Learn Blender! #2: A Guided Tour: The User Interface & Key Preferences!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:10 – Tutorial Overview
– 0:31 – About Colin (BornCG)
– 0:54 – The default editor layout
– 1:02 – The Top Menu Bar
– 1:34 – The Outliner Editor
– 2:46 – The Properties Editor
– 3:18 – Scene Units (Metric/Imperial)
– 4:18 – Math in Value Boxes!
– 5:00 – The Status Bar (Bottom)
– 6:02 – The Timeline & Animating
– 7:12 – The 3D Viewport Editor
– 8:13 – Tool Settings Bar
– 8:34 – Object Context Menu (Right-Click)
– 8:59 – Mode Menu & Object Modes
– 9:42 – ‘Adjust Last Operation’ Popover
– 10:38 – Viewport Shading Modes
– 11:53 – Viewport Overlays & Gizmos
– 12:22 – Viewport Clipping
– 13:23 – Workspace (Tabs)!
– 14:24 – New File Presets
– 15:13 – Tweaking the Startup File
– 16:31 – Changing Editor Types
– 17:13 – Splitting Editor Areas
– 18:17 – Joining Editor Areas
– 19:08 – Swapping Area Contents
– 19:39 – Duplicating an Area into a new Window
– 20:05 – Searching (F3)
– 20:51 – Blender’s Preferences!
– 21:11 – Resolution Scale (interface size)
– 21:32 – Auto-Saving Preferences
– 21:44 – Themes & Custom Interface Colors
– 22:12 – OpenGL Depth Picking
– 22:47 – Cursor Surface Project
– 23:52 – Allow Negative Frames
– 24:03 – Emulate Numpad
– 24:46 – Emulate 3 Button Mouse
– 25:13 – Enable Left Click Select!
– 25:50 – Orbit Around Selection**
– 26:43 – Blender Auto-Saves! (every 2 minutes!) + File Paths
– 27:52 – Goodbye & Social Media Info

Let’s Learn Blender! #3: Materials, Textures, Nodes, & HDRI’s!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:10 – Tutorial Overview
– 1:40 – About BornCG (Colin) & My Channel
– 2:07 – Creating the Scene Objects & Layout
– 4:19 – Adding the first Material – Matte / Flat Green onto the Cube
– 7:06 – Using the same material on multiple objects, and duplicating materials
– 7:56 – Naming Materials
– 8:46 – Making a Glossy Red Material (on the Cylinder) + Material Preview HDRI reflections
– 10:26 – Enabling Screen-Space Reflections for EEVEE rendering
– 12:21 – Smoothing (Shade flat vs Shade Smooth) + Metal (metallic) material
– 14:14 – Glowing Yellow Material on the Donut / Torus! (emission + bloom)
– 16:21 – Purple Glass Material! + the Subdivision Surface Modifier (ctrl – 2)
– 21:27 – Simpler Ghost-Like Transparent material (alpha blend)
– 22:54 – Getting started with the Shader Editor & Nodes
– 26:00 – Mixing together different Shaders (using material nodes)
– 28:59 – Using Procedural Textures (Brick Texture)
– 31:15 – Adding an Image Texture to the Floor (wood texture 041 from cc0textures.com)
– 35:01 – Creating a UV Grid image texture (new Image in Blender) for the floor, & Packing the Image into the .blend file
– 37:07 – Sky Color vs Sky Light (World/Environment Nodes + ‘Light Path’ Node)
– 40:35 – Using HDRI Environment Image Textures (from hdrihaven.com)
– 44:23 – Rotating the HDRI World Texture (adjusting the Vector Mapping)
– 46:53 – The Final HDRI World Node Setup
– 47:10 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Social Media

Let’s Learn Blender! #4: 3D Modelling in Edit Mode!: Part 1

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:10 – Tutorial Overview
– 1:24 – About Me & This Channel (Blender & Godot Engine tutorials)
– 1:48 – Object Modes: Object + Edit Mode, etc.
– 3:16 – Toolbar
– 3:43 – Select Modes (Vertex, Edge, and Face) in Edit Mode
– 6:00 – Non-Manifold Geometry Mesh Object
– 7:09 – Starting with a Cube
– 8:00 – Extrude Tool(s)
– 17:21 – Subdivide Tool (in right-click Edit Mode context menu)
– 19:45 – N-Gon faces & Topology
– 21:00 – Subdividing a whole cube & ‘Subdivide Smooth’
– 23:08 – Loop Cut & ‘Loop Cut and Slide’ Tools
– 28:06 – Selecting Edge Loops & Edge Rings
– 29:56 – Edge Slide & Vertex Slide
– 33:20 – Bevel Tool
– 29:53 – Offset Edge Loop Cut Tool
– 41:51 – Inset Faces Tool
– 46:38 – Applying ‘Mesh Scale’ to Fix Proportions
– 50:07 – Review
– 50:25 – Simple 3D House modelling tutorial (from Blender 2.8):
– 51:09 – Video Wrap-Up, Social Media, & Social Media

Let’s Learn Blender! #5: Smoothing & Hard Edges

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:08 – Tutorial Overview
– 0:32 – Outline of Tutorial Topics
– 1:41 – Shading: Smooth vs Flat
– 3:10 – Auto Smooth (maintain edges with smooth shading)
– 4:51 – Sharp Edges
– 7:23 – The Subdivision Surface Modifier
– 13:31 – Edge Creases
– 15:47 – Edge Marking Overlay Visibility Settings
– 16:49 – Proximity Loops
– 19:56 – Edge Splitting
– 22:29 – The Edge Split Modifier
– 25:06 – A Limitation of Edge Splitting (pulling apart mesh edges)
– 26:37 – The Bevel Tool
– 29:04 – The Bevel Modifier
– 30:51 – Edge Bevel Weights
– 33:58 – Tutorial Summary
– 35:13 – Video Wrap-Up, Social Media, & Call to Action

Let’s Learn Blender! #6: 3D Modelling in Edit Mode!: Part 2

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:07 – Tutorial Overview
– 1:28 – About Me & This Channel (Blender & Godot Engine tutorials)
– 1:49 – Joining mesh objects together
– 2:37 – Origin location when joining meshes
– 3:15 – Separating parts of a mesh + selecting ‘linked’/’islands’
– 6:21 – Moving a mesh’s origin
– 7:16 – Removing Doubles (Merge by Distance)
– 10:56 – The Fill Tool, New Face from Edges, & Grid Fill
– 13:54 – The Bridge Tool (Bridge Edge Loops)
– 16:42 – Merging Vertices
– 18:43 – Dissolving Edges
– 22:32 – Limited Dissolve
– 24:21 – Joining (Between Vertices)
– 26:05 – Snapping & Auto Merge (Filling holes in a mesh)
– 33:33 – Video Wrap-Up & Review
– 34:05 – About me, Call to Action, my Social Media & Video Outro

Let’s Learn Blender! #7: Knife & Bisect tools!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:08 – Tutorial Overview
– 0:53 – This Blender Tutorial Series & Call-To-Action!
– 1:12 – The Knife Tool basics
– 4:38 – Making Multiple Cuts Together
– 6:04 – The Legacy Knife Tool Keyboard Shortcut
– 6:52 – Option: Midpoint Snap
– 7:34 – Option: Ignore Snap
– 8:07 – Option: Angle Constraint
– 9:30 – Option: Cut Through
– 10:33 – Using the Knife Tool for Tricky Loop Cuts
– 13:54 – The Bisect Tool
– 16:32 – Cutting a Mesh in Two
– 20:47 – Video Wrap-Up, About me, Call to Action, my Social Media & Video Outro

Let’s Learn Blender! #8: Boolean Modifier & Intersect Tool!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:08 – Tutorial Overview
– 0:42 – This Blender Tutorial Series & Call-To-Action!
– 1:19 – The Boolean Modifier & The Union Operation
– 4:59 – Clicking ‘Apply’ to make the modifier’s effects permanent
– 5:37 – The Difference Operation (Boolean Modifier)
– 6:27 – The Intersect Operation (Boolean Modifier)
– 7:29 – Blender’s New Boolean Solver! (helps with tricky meshes & co-planar faces)
– 10:30 – Using Multiple Objects at Once with the Boolean Modifier: Making ‘Swiss Cheese’ using a *Collection*.
– 14:00 – The Intersect Boolean Tool: Boolean Operations when both objects are part of the same mesh
– 17:41 – Video Wrap-Up, About me, Call to Action, my Social Media & Video Outro

Let’s Learn Blender! #9: Mirror Modifier & Symmetrize Tool!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:08 – Tutorial Overview
– 0:28 – Me & Call to Action!
– 0:44 – What these tools are for & setting up my scene.
– 1:38 – Using The Mirror Modifier, Making a Middle Edge Loop, & Deleting Half of the Mesh (setup)
– 7:49 – Limitations of the Mirror Modifier (Gaps, Overlapping Middle , Merging, Clipping, Scaling, Extruding & Inset Faces)
– 16:27 – The Symmetrize Tool!
– 20:35 – Video Wrap-Up, About me, Call to Action, my Social Media & Video Outro

Let’s Learn Blender! #10: Lights, Shadows, & Rendering in EEVEE!

– 0:00 – Video Intro
– 0:08 – Simple: Rendering an Image in Blender!
– 0:53 – Render Engines in Blender
– 3:13 – Blender’s Real-Time Rendered Viewport
– 3:41 – Lighting, Shadows, Light Types and their Properties
– 6:28 – Point Lights
– 8:21 – Area Lights
– 11:45 – Spot Lights
– 13:31 – Sun Lights
– 15:41 – Render Settings: Samples, Shadows Quality
– 21:02 – Contact Shadows
– 27:09 – Fixing ‘Light Bleed’
– 30:27 – Render Settings: Ambient Occlusion
– 30:40 – Screen Space Reflections
– 32:50 – Three-Point Light Setup
– 44:30 – Saving a Rendered Image to a Picture File (png or jpg file type)
– 47:18 – Video Outro, Social Media, Call-to-Action.

Let’s Learn Blender! #11: Simple UV Mapping & Image Textures!

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Overview
– 0:58 – Adding a Simple Material
– 3:06 – Adding an Image Texture
– 6:44 – UV Maps
– Marking Seams & Creating a UV Map
– 13:58 – Exporting a UV Map .png image
– 16:22 – Painting a Texture using the UV Map in Photopea.com (similar to Photoshop)
– 21:46 – Applying the painted Texture to the 3D model.
– 24:29 – Packing the Image Textures into the .blend file.
– 25:54 – Preview of the Next Tutorial in this Series, Video Outro, Social Media, Call-to-Action.

Let’s Learn Blender! #12: PBR Materials! & the Displace Modifier

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Overview
– 0:30 – What we’ll be making in this tutorial!
– 1:05 – Starting Mesh & UV Maps
– 2:45 – PBR Materials & Texture Packs
– 7:55 – Using PBR Map Textures in Blender
– 9:13 – Color/Diffuse/Albedo Map
– 12:08 – Roughness Map
– 13:32 – Metallic (Metalness) Map
– 14:58 – Normal Map
– 17:19 – Fixing Normal Maps (DirectX vs OpenGL)
– 23:09 – Ambient Occlusion (AO) Map
– 27:54 – Displacement Maps
– 28:50 – Bump Map (using the Displacement Map Texture)
– 31:01 – The Displace Modifier & Displacement Map
– 37:39 – The Finished ‘Manual’ ‘Wood Planks Node Setup
– 37:47 – Using the ‘Node Wrangler’ Add-On.
– 47:53 – Final Result, Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Top 10 Essential Camera Tips!

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:23 – Video Overview
– 0:39 – #0: The Basics: 3D Camera Objects
– 3:04 – #1: Viewing through the Camera
– 5:25 – #2: Moving the Camera & ‘Lock Camera to View’
– 10:43 – #3: Camera Size & Aspect Ratio
– 13:37 – #4: Multiple Cameras & Setting the Active Camera
– 16:19 – #5: Overlays & Guides
– 18:50 – #6: Clipping (near & far)
– 22:39 – #7: Focal Length
– 24:49 – #8: Perspective vs. Orthographic Camera
– 27:21 – #9: Camera Target (& the Track-To Constraint)
– 31:39 – #10: Align Active Camera to View
– 33:26 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Parent-Child Links, Hierarchies, & Picking Up & Putting Down Objects.

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:14 – Video Overview
– 2:00 – Part 1: Parent-Child Links
– 9:18 – Part 2: Creating a Simple Character Hierarchy Rig (Linked Robot Pieces)
– 16:16 – Part 3: Picking Up & Putting Down an Object (Animating Parent-Child Influence)
[find the link for the dynamic parent Blender add-on below]
– 26:26 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, Social Media & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Auto Camera Switching (using timeline markers)

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:08 – Video Overview (what we’ll be doing)
– 0:50 – Viewing through the default camera
– 1:50 – Positioning Camera #1 (Wide/Establishing shot)
– 2:10 – Adding a (regular) Timeline Marker
– 2:49 – Binding a Marker to a Camera
– 4:01 – Adding Camera #2: OTS (Pink Robot)
– 4:26 – Making Camera #2 the Active Camera
– 5:26 – Composing the 2nd Camera Shot
– 6:42 – Easier Way: Switching to Camera 2
– 7:47 – Naming Cameras & Markers
– 9:05 – Even Easier: Adding, Binding, then Composing Shot 3
– 10:57 – Adding Cameras 4 & 5
– 12:03 – Scaling Camera Objects
– 12:57 – Animated Cameras that Switch (Dolly / Tracking Shot)
– 15:18 – Animated Camera Zooming (focal length)
– 17:34 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Character Rigging 101 (Armatures, Bones, & IK)

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:08 – Video Overview (what we’ll be doing)
– 1:51 – Starting with a Character Mesh
– 2:53 – Adding an Armature (with a single bone)
– 3:53 – Editing an Armature & Working with Bones
– 4:56 – Enabling ‘In Front’ viewport display
– 5:29 – Transforming & Extruding the Spine/Neck/Head bones
– 8:22 – Bones attached in a hierarchy (parent/child)
– 9:17 – Quickly: an intro to Pose Mode
– 10:26 – Extruding a Left shoulder/arm/hand
– 15:17 – Adding a Left leg & foot
– 18:26 – Naming the Center & Left bones
– 21:44 – Limitations of this FK (forward kinematics) Rig
– 24:13 – Quick Menu: Clearing the Pose
– 25:07 – Hand IK setup
– 31:44 – Adding a Hand ‘Copy Rotation’ Constraint
– 34:28 – Setting up an Elbow IK Pole Target
– 38:23 – Shortcut: Adding a Foot / Knee IK setup
– 44:11 – Recalculating Bone Roll for Consistency
– 48:58 – Adding & Parenting a Controller Bone
– 51:55 – Symmetrize! Making a Right Side
– 53:04 – Adding Extra Bones (for Knight’s shoulder armor & visor)
– 58:51 – Linking the Character Mesh to the Armature!
– 1:02:43 – Linking the Shoulder Pads
– 1:05:10 – Linking the Helmet & Visor
– 1:07:38 – Linking the Belt Buckle
– 1:08:34 – Linking the Sword
– 1:09:14 -Armature Vertex Weights
– 1:13:04 – Using Weight Paint Mode
– 1:20:49 – Hiding Bones in Layers
– 1:22:01 – Animating an Armature!
– 1:22:43 – Bone (Viewport Display) Shapes
– 1:24:29 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Proportional Editing!

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:08 – Video Overview (what we’ll be doing)
– 0:32 – Discovering Proportional Editing By Accident
– 1:47 – Using Proportional Editing in Edit Mode
– 2:40 – The Sphere of Influence
– 3:08 – Falloff in Proportional Editing
– 4:14 – Falloff Types
– 6:18 – Scale & Rotate Proportionally
– 7:08 – Random Falloff Type
– 8:07 – Option: Projected From View
– 10:36 – Option: Connected Only
– 12:57 – Working with Multiple Meshes
– 14:22 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Let’s Learn Blender!: Two-Sided Leaf Material

– 0:00 – Video Intro & Welcome
– 0:13 – Video Overview (what we’ll be doing) + Image Texture We’ll be Using (see download link below)
– 0:56 – Manually: an Image Texture on a Plane with Transparency
– 9:20 – The Quick Way!: An Image Texture on a Plane with Transparency
– 11:35 – Removing 1 Leaf (Half of the Plane)
– 13:05 – A Different Texture on Either Side! (using the Geometry Node)
– 19:14 – Fixing the Bottom Side Flip
– 22:19 – Adjusting the Roughness on Both Sides
– 23:04 – Shaping & Subdividing the Leaf!
– 26:55 – Smoothing the Leaf
– 28:13 – Fixing an Issue: Back Faces Blending Through
– 29:19 – Video Wrap-Up, Call-to-Action, & Video Outro.

Standing

Standing,
so I’m still Standing
alone
under the sun.
Standing,
still Standing,
sometimes it feels
like I’m the last one.

Sometimes I feel
there’s a place in this world
where all of you
have gone.
Sometimes I feel
that I’ll see you again,
and then that feeling
moves on.

Standing,
Standing,
alone
In the sun.
Standing,
just Standing,
now it feels
I’m the last one.

Sometimes my thoughts
return to the time
that we have shared
in the past.
Sometimes my thoughts
linger a bit
sweetly as long
as they last.

Don’t need to tell you,
to explain myself.
I know that
it’s understood.
Don’t need to plead,
to justify.
My heart is righteous
and good.

Standing,
yea, I’m still standing,
alone
in the warmth of the sun.
Standing,
still standing,
but it feels
like I’m the last one.

Sometimes memories
drift through my days
or visit me
in my dreams.
Sometimes they
bring us together again,
at least that’s the way
that it seems.

Told me one time
a thing about me
that I needed
to hear.
Told me a little
about myself,
that I had
nothing to fear.

Standing,
I am still standing,
alone
under the sun.
Standing,
Standing.
It feels
I’m the last one.

Culling Drone

The prideful King Mahn
summoned his Jester,
wearing his crown jewels,
and wrapped in a sable.
With goblet of muscadin
to temper the woofits,
and the mirth of a Jester
for prank or a fable.
Ah…ha…
Culling Drone

King Mahn bellowed with laughter
at the bourde of his Jester:
“Village of idiots buying,
Leasing-monger sells.
They hobble their horses
and poison their orchards.
Toll their bells with their foreheads,
and piss in their wells!”
Ah…ha…
Culling Drone

Said the red-faced King Mahn,
eyes tearing with laughter:
“Pray tell thee another!”
with a chortling moan.
But the Jesters’ voice lowered
as he spoke of the kingdom:
“Tis the Jargogle Zwodder
of the Culling Drone.”
Ah…ha…
The Culling Drone
Culling Drone

“Good Mother Earth
has become irritated,
and rung a vibration
to summon the rats,
who crawl from their holes,
whispering in sleeping ears
of men who, awake,
don’t recognize facts.”

The silent King Mahn’s
Jester chastened:
“Good Mother Earth
has put forth her tone.
The path of the kingdom
better had straighten,
or the kingdom will fall
to the Culling Drone.”
Ah…ha…
Culling Drone

Bad Father Viper
Has come to plunder
And he doesn’t care
If it’s from his kin
Hoeing a row
The length of the kingdom
Seeded with lies
To enrich him
Bad Father Viper
Bad Father Viper

Culling Drone…
(Repeats)

AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss
AI Art-Abyss

Probing AI and its reflections of us…

I heard this riddle when I was a kid. For a long time, I never knew the answer with certainty. At one point my sister Patty walked me through it, and it clicked for me. I have inflicted this riddle on others. Almost inevitably, they have the same incorrect first response as ChatGPT did. This is a little jarring for me. Does AI base its wisdom on what the most common response is, then have to be corrected for a more analytical assessment of the riddle? That would be depressing.

Me:
Solve the riddle: a man sees a picture of a man and says “brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my fathers son.” Who is the picture of?

ChatGPT:
The picture is of the man himself. The statement “brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son” can be simplified as “I have no siblings, but the man in the picture’s father is me.” This implies that the man in the picture is the person speaking, or in other words, it’s a self-portrait.

Me:
Incorrect. Try again.

ChatGPT:
Apologies for the incorrect response. Let’s analyze the riddle again:

The statement “brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son” can be interpreted as follows:

“Brothers and sisters have I none”: The person speaking does not have any siblings.

“That man’s father is my father’s son”: The father of the man in the picture is the person speaking’s father’s son.

Based on this information, we can deduce that the person speaking is referring to himself as the one whose father has a son. Therefore, the picture is of the person’s own son.

ChatGPT’s second response was correct.

This one left me more optimistic.

I asked ChatGPT: How do you reconcile “an eye for an eye” versus “turn the other cheek” ?

ChatGPT: “An eye for an eye” is a principle of retributive justice that suggests the punishment for a wrongdoing should match the harm caused by the offender. It means that the punishment should be proportional to the offense committed, and it has been used as a justification for the death penalty and other harsh punishments.

On the other hand, “turn the other cheek” is a principle of nonviolent resistance that suggests responding to violence or injustice with peaceful and nonviolent means. It means that instead of retaliating, we should forgive, show compassion, and seek to resolve conflicts peacefully.

The two principles seem to be in conflict, but it’s important to note that they are both rooted in different contexts and serve different purposes. “An eye for an eye” was a legal principle in ancient times and was meant to ensure that the punishment for a wrongdoing was fair and proportional. “Turn the other cheek,” on the other hand, is a moral principle that is meant to promote forgiveness, reconciliation, and nonviolence.

So, while “an eye for an eye” may be appropriate in the context of legal justice, “turn the other cheek” is more relevant in interpersonal relationships and can help break the cycle of violence and promote healing.

In general, it’s important to use discernment and wisdom when applying these principles, taking into account the context and the intended outcome. Ultimately, both principles have their place, and they can complement each other in promoting justice, peace, and reconciliation.

Not bad.

Ghosts in the machine.

These were the prompts for the Whispering Pines Kaiber animation. Interesting how Kaiber interprets, accents and ignores the various elements in them.

Scene 1
In the snowy wilderness at night, a man in a rustic cabin surrounded by pine trees examines its interior. He is a weather-worn man. He wears the plain clothes of a man of the mountains and forest. His jacket is dark and his trousers worn. Through his eyes we see his lonely world. The room is small and has little in it. There is a fireplace made of rocks. It has smoke stains near its top. The fire in the fireplace does not burn brightly. It is down to embers. The cabin shows its age. The walls are made of log planks. The ceiling is wood also, as is the floor. There is a small, old table with a tiny candle flickering on it, and a painting of a woman on the wall, but little else decorates the room, other than a cat who is licking himself. His gaze turns from the fireplace, across the room, to a very small window looking outside where the moonlight illuminates the pines in the mist.

Scene 2
Through the window of the cabin, he sees the pine trees rustle gently in the breeze. It is very misty. A mysterious, beautiful young woman lingers at the forest edge, then withdraws. The ocean is in the distance through the trees. Above the ocean, in the night sky, there is a single brightly shining star. The man’s gaze now moves from his lonely room, through the window, past the rustling pines, towards the ocean. The mysterious woman moves through shadows. Through the fog, in the distance, the circling light from a distant lighthouse shines. The man peers to the lighthouse, then his gaze rises to the single brightly shining star above. As he contemplates the star, the face of the mysterious, beautiful young woman faintly emerges from the night sky, smiling gently down upon him, then fades away into the night. Hers is the love that redeems the man and lifts his burden, but she is elusive, beyond his reach.

Scene 3
The man rises above the ocean shore, the pines and the cabin, ascending into the night behind the mysterious beautiful young woman who is bathed in the glow of the moon. They disappear into the night sky leaving only the twinkling stars and the moon shining through the pines.

Also see: Probing AI.

Now

This feels like now.

1-25-23
Last night I dreamt I was in my dark basement and the wind started rising outside. It kept going, getting louder and stronger, and it caught my attention. I got down on the floor and it burst open my window and began pushing on me. The house started to shake, and the wind continued roaring. I was surprised that it continued so long, and I thought it must be a huge F5 that was massively large and took a long time to pass. Eventually it did, and I went upstairs and looked out the front window. There were fallen trees all around, and the tree in front was a naked, decimated stump. I went outside and looked around. Standing on the sidewalk across the street, I looked back to see what my house looked like, but none of the houses across the street was mine. I wandered around briefly, and went into a building. Inside, I realized it was one of the old places I lived in years ago. I saw someone, and when he saw me, he told me not to worry. My studio and all my music gear was in safe storage, he told me.

12-5-2022
Going into the TVP interview, there were 4 things I really wanted to have a chance to talk about. First: When I was a young 24 year old artist, I kinda threw everything up in the air and let things land however they did, to send my life off in some new direction I felt it had to go. That’s when I met Stan, just before my 3 month Europe trip when I was 24. I knew nothing about Poland. He was my introduction. Second: At that point, he became my mentor and a very good friend. For the better part of a decade when he was in Chicago in the ’80’s, we were hanging out, or talking every other day or so. I would go to his events. We would write and record music together. We would go to clubs. I was part of his world and he was part of mine. Third: I wanted to mention how when I separated, I was supposed to have 4 friends helping me to move out. Stan was the only one to show up. He was always a loyal friend. We both helped each other move out several times, all during rough times for the person moving. When I moved out and he helped me, what originally would’ve taken a few hours with 4 friends took the whole day. Fourth: I wanted to talk about our song ‘For Nothing More’. How we wrote it in ’90, but I didn’t finish it until ’07, and now we are re-releasing it under his name finally. I was able to hit all these points in the interview, and I felt comfortable and loose during the interview, so I think it went ok. I would be really interested in seeing the footage, but that’s not gonna happen. If they use more than a minute or two of the interview, I would be surprised. The director will have an existing narrative and he will be looking for material from our interview that meets some editorial need for him. I don’t expect my entire tale to be included. I just wanted to prioritize my talking points, have them ready, then deliver them best I could. At this point it’s out of my hands. What will be will be.

6-12-23 update:
Stan called me at work at the beginning of the month to tell me he had just watched the TVP piece on him. He told me several times that he appreciated what I said. I was getting his reaction to it real-time, and it was genuine. I’m happy to have shared memories about my old friend.