The Daily Dad — Dec 23, 2023

Things you might want to know:

• Ryan Gosling Unveils ‘Ken The EP’ With New Christmas Version
  ❝ The EP includes a seasonal spin on his Barbie soundtrack hit, “I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie),” along with a video of Gosling, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt in the studio. Additional “I’m Just Ken” renditions include “In My Feelings Acoustic,” “Purple Disco Machine Remix,” and the original.
• Apple Wants to Partner With Major Publishers to Train AI – MacRumors
  ❝ Apple has approached several major publishers to establish deals that would allow the Cupertino company to train generative artificial intelligence…
• “Fentanyl exposure” is not a thing
  ❝ Illicit use of fentanyl has been linked to overdoses since the 1970s. In this video, Dr. Marino explains why accidental exposure is highly unlikely. Learn more about fentanyl overdose facts in this blog post!
• Google’s ChatGPT competitor Bard is nearly as good — just slower
  💭 For now, Bard is my go-to LLM front-end. It’s frequently wrong or confused —like all LLMs— but provides enough value to pull me back from time to time. And it’s free, which makes its annoyances a little less annoying.
• Police have unlimited warrantless access to Americans’ medical records via Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and other pharmacies
  ❝ U.S pharmacy chains such as Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid provide police warrantless access to customers’ medical records, reports Ars Technica. Some don’t even have legal professionals review the requests,…

• Raquel Leviss: Why the Heck Did I Return to Vanderpump Rules?!?
  💭 Because you’re a fame-whore, honey. Because you’re a fame-whore.
• The persistence of tradition: the curious case of Henry Symeonis
  ❝ Christmas is a time for tradition, and the University of Oxford is well known for diligently preserving its traditions for centuries. Many of these have long outlived the people who established the…
• Surgeon punches patient during operation
  ❝ A surgeon in China is in trouble after punching a patient three times in the head during an operation. Viral footage of the incident has outraged the nation and already…
• Joe Biden Pardons Federal Marijuana Possession Convictions
  ❝ On Friday, President Joe Biden announced that he’s pardoning federal and D.C. marijuana possession convictions.
• From the Depths of Wikipedia: none of the phrasing from the 2003…
  ❝ From the Depths of Wikipedia: none of the phrasing from the 2003 “Ship of Theseus” page on Wikipedia remains

• Jan. 6 rioter nabbed in Bumble dating app sting pleads guilty to assaulting officers
  ❝ Her strategy, she said, was to say, “Wow, crazy, tell me more,” on repeat until guys gave her enough to send their information to the FBI.
• South Park: Snow Day! Announces Release Date With New Trailer – IGN
  💭 Given how bad the Beavis & Butthead games were, South Park has had it pretty easy… The Stick of Truth was actually pretty damned good. So there’s at least a chance that Snow Day won’t be complete dog-shit… but I’m limiting my optimism until something bolsters it.
• Facebook Marketplace Is Being Ruined by Zelle Scammers
  ❝ I tried to sell a futon on Facebook Marketplace and nearly all I got were scammers.
• Apple’s Mac Mini M2 falls back to a low of $479
  💭 If you’ve already got a monitor/mouse/keyboard, this is an excellent deal.

• The Gilded Age renewed for a third season
  💭 I was completely unaware that there’s a subset of the audience that hate-watches this show; I’m mystified. Is it great television? Not really. But it’s as good as any latter season of Downton Abbey, and I enjoy seeing Cynthia Nixon play something so un-Miranda. I can understand being bored by TGA, but there’s nothing actually bad about it.
• Starfield will get updates every six weeks beginning in February 2024
  💭 I’m left shockingly cold by the opening minutes of Starfield, and haven’t even bothered to finish lift-off from the starting planet. It all just seems so generic, in contrast to the weirdness of Fallout 4’s opening, or the world-building and Big Plot Stuff that occupied the beginning of Skyrim. There’s only so much they can patch, but I hope they improve it.
• Bluesky posts are finally visible if you’re not logged in
  ❝ Bluesky remains an invite-only decentralized Twitter alternative, but now, you don’t need to be logged in to be able to see posts on the platform. The app has a new logo, too.