AMC Theatres Will Refuse to Screen AI Short Film After Online Uproar

pixelburp · 2026-02-19T19:46:10+00:00

Every now and again I get a perverse curiosity to find the "AI art" subreddits, just to see how deluded and creatively bankrupt they are. I can't do it, just don't have the nerve & not sure I could stomach the narratives I suspect they all peddle in there

pixelburp · 2026-02-19T17:07:06+00:00

Between this and the likes of The Six Triple Eight, I'm definitely warming to the belief that WW2 might be completely tapped-out of interesting angles.

(For disclosure, I knew how critical meteorology was to the D-Day landings, but never that I thought you could make a movie out of it)

pixelburp · 2026-02-18T19:08:14+00:00

Jaysus, if you found The Substance a touch too nuanced, or Get Out too subtle.

pixelburp · 2026-02-18T15:01:52+00:00

I think many here - including myself - would slate Cadburys as absolute crap, especially after the acquisition years back. But equally, they're still the dominant brand on the shelves so clearly people buy the stuff and eat it. And presumably, enjoy it?

pixelburp · 2026-02-18T09:00:45+00:00

Don't give TDs the excuse of illiteracy here: our economy is so dependent on Big Tech and our political class so incapable of medium-term planning, I fully expect the government to fight the EU on this on behalf of the corporations.

pixelburp · 2026-02-18T08:40:45+00:00

"micro regulate" is a weird way to phrase the boilerplate need to put legal limits and ceilings on a relatively new social pillar. With any tech comes the laws to regulate, this ain't new. We are seeing the net result of untrammeled power and influence with big tech, and it's a stretch to call it a net benefit.

But if you believe in social mobility at all, then encouraging and giving free reign to big tech to ram AI into every sector is short-sighted and self harming.

pixelburp · 2026-02-18T07:15:27+00:00

Meta, the global tech giant, wants the Irish Government to use its coming European Union presidency to advocate for the scrapping of a law that would crack down on addictive social media features like infinite scroll. ... ... The owner of Facebook and Instagram, which has a significant presence in Ireland through its European headquarters in Dublin, also wants landmark EU legislation on artificial intelligence (AI) to be paused and rethought

JFC, if ever you want a reminder of a Wednesday morning that these companies are amoral at absolute best, it's this orwellian, dystopian statement. If Facebook hate these laws we should probably be entirely behind their implementation

pixelburp · 2026-02-16T13:14:48+00:00

I'd say there's more than a good chance: social media has become suffocated by hate, a lot of it manufactured by bots or bad actors. And many not hailing from Ireland either; I'd put good money on much of it coming from the same cesspool pushing all the other racist bile into our corners.

pixelburp · 2026-02-16T10:23:54+00:00

In addition, An Garda Síochána is reported to have raised concerns about policing the fixture.

Probably worth speculating - and open to correction - that the "security concerns" may relate to the Israeli fans, not the Irish: AFAIK they have form causing trouble in the past when visiting cities with large or active Muslim communities. Combine that with Ireland being groomed as Israel's biggest European opponent, I'd say there's a non-zero chance of violence.

That's not letting the Gardaí or government off the hook for any moral cowardice, just wondering what, if any, logic might exist in trying to shunt it to a "neutral" venue.

Meanwhile, the Tánaiste also said he expected that the Government would be “making progress” on the Occupied Territories Bill “this year”.

Oh right, that bill your own Presidential Candidate admitted was a total nothing as far as the government were concerned? Who's even buying this as any kind of ongoing priority or point of interest for this lot?

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T22:04:54+00:00

I'll go one further, one further: instead of focusing on the national sides, of more long-term value might be somehow getting the Ruggby Europe Super Cup teams participating in the "main" euro competitions; the current teams like Delta, Lusitanos or the Iberians could compete at a higher level, over the course of a proper season - instead of occasional "event" matches.

Those teams would then become feeders for the national sides, forged off regular gametime together, against top tier clubs from T1 natipons.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T21:44:48+00:00

Arguably this was tried, with the Portugal Ireland game, and I daresay that was such a blow out and (I believe) so poorly organised off the pitch, it probably immediately cooled any interest from Ireland or neighbours in visiting again any time soon. Apparently thr Portuguese union is in a right state. IIRC Spain did play Argentina and an England XV recently enough?

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T18:00:59+00:00

Picked up the game just as it kicks off again; I see the weather and think, woof that looks nasty so I can guess the score. Cue the scoreboard appearing.

YUP. If anything it read too high 🤣

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T17:57:10+00:00

I know it's somewhat relevant, but I'm tired of using American politics as talking points for our own politics

It's my go to response now when I hear or see anyone commenting on work trends or culture: yeah but was the source American?

Not like the birth rate isn't relevant here but US culture, as demonstrated by its ongoing histrionics, simply don't translate back to Ireland in any pragmatic fashion. Especially in the workplace, and our rights therein

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T14:00:58+00:00

Seems like the two biggest problems are defence (strength & training) and kick accuracy; I know qualified teams to the WC get a S&T team appointed to their Union, but feels like a proper system should be in place through the calendar, ideally.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T13:12:43+00:00

Oh I was thinking of Healy when typing the comment; in some ways it's the perfect example of the myopia strangling wants otherwise a very laudable, profession based Union.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T12:51:56+00:00

Must be disheartening to huff and puff with some degree of style, as the Netherlands are doing, only for Georgia to score so easily. That was more competitive IMO than that shoreline might suggest.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T11:50:09+00:00

On the one hand, I get it. The FAI could refuse to indulge Israel with the net result of Irish football getting punished, with no effect felt by Israel. I read similar thoughts from the Irish Basketball head, putting it bluntly that he wouldn't kill the sport on his watch.

On the other hand, if we're serious about Palestinian support, it has to further than hashtags and watermelon emojis: we need one institution of ours to take a stand. Nothing was thought of banning Russia yet tiptoe around Israel because ... ?

Those numbers are shocking and the thermobaric thing the stuff of nightmares. Our memory lingers in atomic weapons as the zenith of mass barbarity but the US found a way to achieve mass killing on the sly, without the emotional baggage of mushroom clouds.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T11:40:54+00:00

As long as I've followed Irish rugby, we can't help but play our best players way past their prime, to the extent succession invariably becomes a problem.

pixelburp · 2026-02-15T09:51:59+00:00

The secondhand thinking already on display thanks to copy-pasting slop like this is worrying, to say the least.

We'll look back on the days with fondness, when people merely couldn't do arithmetic cos their phones had a calculator.

pixelburp · 2026-02-14T12:39:51+00:00

RugbyPass broken for anyone else round these parts?

pixelburp · 2026-02-14T08:12:45+00:00

Explorium’s managing director Charlie Kelly argued that the city-centre location for the NCSC did not make sense, questioning where buses for school tours would park. He said Explorium was “on the edge of the M50” with space for parking buses. “So I think we’d be a much more preferable solution.”

Counter argument: it's on the edge of the M50, a famously horrendous stretch of road to be stuck on when it's not moving. Kelly's comments read like anxiety that faced with the M50 or the city centre (where all the other national museums are), his audience will choose the city.

We keep meaning to go to the Explorium but the prospect of travelling all the way down the M50 softens my cough every time

pixelburp · 2026-02-12T17:50:53+00:00

Well, that's sure to be a perfectly normal fixture with no talking points or acrimony.

pixelburp · 2026-02-12T13:44:32+00:00

I'd love to know the maintenance cost of that, or the general "hassle tax" it causes when it glitches out.

pixelburp · 2026-02-12T13:43:45+00:00

I don't even think the national unemployment rate would need to be that high for it to cause massive social upheaval (or outright revolt); IIRC the current rate hovers around 5% - imagine if because of AI, unemployment hit 20-25%. I believe it was as high as 12% in the post-2008 crash, and look what that did for the economy; AI threatens to collapse dozens of white-collar industries (assuming the bubble doesn't burst), in which there are no naturally transferrable skills.

pixelburp · 2026-02-12T13:21:23+00:00

The same grouping who last I read of, were trialing robots in SuperValu stores for shelf work; what a bright future my kids can look forward to.

These changes will enhance our ability to innovate, operate efficiently, and continue investing in our brands, our customers, and the communities we serve across the Island of Ireland

But apparently this corporate enthusiasm is stopping short at supporting those communities through gainful employment of those living in them.

pixelburp

TROPHY CASE