Plutonic Rainbows

I couldn’t get out to exercise today because it was raining on and off, so I spent many hours working on prompting templates for Flux. I finally managed to send my fleece off for repairs. It’s still a brilliant piece of winter clothing, so letting a few rusty zips stop me from using it seemed rather wasteful.

Inspired by Walpole Bay; seaweed, white flowers and salt water collected on 25th March 2014, (sunny day).

Reminiscent of an uninhabited bay; man-made structures that bridge land and sea and a crisp fragrance of salt, sweet pea and musk.

In the next five years, the landscape of AI-related jobs will evolve significantly as artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into industries. Traditional roles in IT and data science will increasingly focus on AI-specific tasks, such as training, fine-tuning, and managing machine learning models. Positions like AI Ethics Officers and AI Compliance Specialists will emerge to address ethical concerns and ensure regulatory compliance in AI development and deployment. Additionally, roles such as Prompt Engineers will become more prominent, focusing on crafting precise instructions to guide generative AI systems. As businesses strive to leverage AI responsibly and effectively, demand for professionals skilled in interdisciplinary collaboration—bridging AI technology with areas like healthcare, finance, and education—will grow.

Creative and design roles will also transform as AI takes on more of the heavy lifting in content creation. Positions like AI-Assisted Creators or AI Content Curators will focus on guiding and enhancing AI-generated outputs rather than starting from scratch. Similarly, technical roles like AI Maintenance Specialists will focus on troubleshooting and optimising AI systems in real-time. New jobs like Synthetic Data Engineers will become crucial for generating high-quality data to train AI systems while maintaining privacy. Overall, there will be a significant shift towards roles that combine technical expertise with creativity, critical thinking, and ethical considerations to ensure AI is deployed to its fullest potential while mitigating risks.

Recent breakthroughs in AI have not only increased demand for AI products, they've also lowered the barriers to entry for those who want to build AI products. The model-as-a-service approach has transformed AI from an esoteric discipline into a powerful development tool that anyone can use. Everyone, including those with minimal or no prior AI experience, can now leverage AI models to build applications. In this book, author Chip Huyen discusses AI engineering: the process of building applications with readily available foundation models.

The book starts with an overview of AI engineering, explaining how it differs from traditional ML engineering and discussing the new AI stack. The more AI is used, the more opportunities there are for catastrophic failures, and therefore, the more important evaluation becomes. This book discusses different approaches to evaluating open-ended models, including the rapidly growing AI-as-a-judge approach.

AI application developers will discover how to navigate the AI landscape, including models, datasets, evaluation benchmarks, and the seemingly infinite number of use cases and application patterns. You'll learn a framework for developing an AI application, starting with simple techniques and progressing toward more sophisticated methods, and discover how to efficiently deploy these applications.

Enjoying this excellent book, written back in 1995. So much of it now seems almost like a series of premonitions.

Sagan argues that science is not just a body of knowledge but a way of thinking that can protect us from deception, encourage curiosity, and illuminate the darkest corners of ignorance. He reminds readers that embracing the scientific method does not diminish the mystery and beauty of the world but enhances our ability to appreciate it.

I worry that, especially as the Millennium edges near, pseudoscience and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive. Where have we heard it before? Whenever our ethnic or national prejudices are aroused, in times of scarcity, during challenges to self-esteem or nerve, when we agonize about our diminished cosmic place and purpose, or when fanaticism is bubbling up around us — then, habits of thought familiar from ages past reach for the controls. The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir.

The book is both a cautionary tale and a hopeful call to action, urging readers to embrace reason, critical inquiry, and a sense of wonder. It is a timeless work that continues to inspire those committed to promoting rational thought in an often irrational world.

I’m deeply sorry to hear about his passing. He was a visionary director whose films left a profound impact on me during the 1980s and 1990s. His impressive body of work was both fantastic and, at times, haunting. Twin Peaks (which first aired in 1990) revolutionised television, paving the way for the landscape of modern TV shows we see today. It was truly a groundbreaking series. Personally, my favourite film of his was The Elephant Man.

I suppose this is the precursor to agents. It is in beta and very buggy. My tasks don't seem to trigger, or when they do, they're sent at the wrong time. Definitely needs some serious work.

Today, I’m wearing Musc Ravageur, the last fragrance I own from Frédéric Malle. I’m fairly certain it was the first one I ever purchased. It’s still a great scent — perhaps no longer groundbreaking, but it retains its unique allure. Back in the day, this was the fragrance everyone in the community was talking about.

The last of the christmas lights have been put away in the attic. I’m now preparing some Patagonia garments to send off for repair.

I find myself admiring Roja Parfums’ Lost In Paris once again. It currently comes with a 10% discount and includes a complimentary 10ml travel spray. While it’s not quite as enticing as last year’s Black Friday offer of 20% off, it’s still tempting, and I’m considering it carefully.

I’m also revisiting Christian Dior’s Oud Ispahan Esprit De Parfum. It’s undeniably pricey, but its performance is impressive. My hesitation lies in its uniqueness — it’s essentially another rose and oud combination. However, pairing it with a body cream could enhance its effect.

Found some beautiful images of Lisa Graham on Bellazon.

I revised the résumé once again. In the evening, I am watching a new 4K transfer of Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill.

After browsing various blogs and Twitter posts, it seems highly likely that o3 will be released soon. I’m curious about how long it will take before OpenAI begins rolling out agents. There’s certainly a lot of discussion surrounding this, so I suspect it might happen in the near future.

I’ve downgraded to the Plus account as the Pro tier didn’t seem to offer good value for money. Additionally, a significant VAT has been added to an already costly subscription. I’m still uncertain about the financial viability and value of the Pro tier, so I’ll wait for further updates before reconsidering.