This is just plain creepy.
I was looking at my messages the other night, and I saw an unfamiliar face, along with the message, (taken verbatim) 'Hey! I'm Billie, your older sister and confidante. Have a problem? I've got your back.' followed by a reassuring thumbs up.
I don't have an older sister.
Further reading in that message tells me: 'All messages are generated by AI. Some messages may be innaccurate or inappropriate.'
I have to tell you, this is just mindboggling to me. Who on earth would respond to that, let alone discuss personal problems? I mean, you have absolutely no idea where those messages are going, or who is seeing them. Are people really that desperate for human contact that they will knowingly settle for fake family members???!!
Also creepy? The weather! At the beginning of the week, we were freezing in single digit weather. Today? 55 degrees.
I worked at the new build today. Tim needed to leave early. We got a call from one of our tenants saying that quite suddenly, her drains weren't working. He immediately headed out to meet the plumber. After several hours, it was determined that the drain pipe has been damaged by a neighbor who'd torn down a house and put in a large graveled parking lot.
The poor tenant just had surgery yesterday. She had noticed problems for a week, but snaked it out herself and hoped for the best. Alas. No 'best'.
The plumber is organizing the work, but stressed that he has to wait for the utilities to be marked before they can get started on the repairs. Unfortunately, the only advice that he could offer poor Deb is to use her water (and her drains) as little as possible.
We really do have the very best tenants. Two of her friends had popped in with lunch and beer. Hearing all of this, Paula (who is also a tenant, six houses down) offered her shower. Laundry services were lined up. Deb herself is treating this all as an adventure. Her Alaskan 'can-do' is showing through.
So. It's been a very strange day, but, hey, I've got 83.3 million reasons to celebrate.
Creepy doesn't cover that message. How did you determine it was AI?
ReplyDeleteIt actually said so. 'All messages generated by AI. Some messages may be inaccurate or inappropriate.' Verbatim!
DeleteDebby, the older I get the less I'm trusting myself to catch all this stuff online. Sooner or later, someone is going to con me--or catfish me! Listen, I've been thinking about your Blogger problem when commenting on others blogs or even your own. I once had this same problem a year or so ago. I use Firefox as my browser, and I had to go into settings, then Security & Privacy, and change it from Strict to Custom, then unselect (allow) Cookies. That fixed my Blogger commenting issue.
ReplyDeleteI've given that a try. I'll send you a test comment. You don't need to publish it.
DeleteDebby I'm sorry, it still went to my spam folder and didn't even notify me in email. You're not the only one, Rian from Older but Better, hers does the same thing. Ugh.
DeleteNow that is a great tenant! I hope the problem can be resolved before any more bad weather. And yes to the reasons to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteWe really have been so very lucky. One fellow is unhappy with his heating bill, but we have put in a H.E. furnace. His home is well insulated. He swears he spent $1200 a year for his heating bill (propane) when he lived in his house in the country. That cannot be correct, but that's what he wants his bill to be. We cannot match that, of course. We'd hate to lose him, because we really think quite a lot of him, but he's really unhappy about this. We aren't going to argue with him, but we've done all we can. Energy conservation is on him, and ultimately, the decision to stay or go is on him as well. But he's a dandy character, and his neighbors love him.
DeleteMaybe he can find some statistics on average heating costs per square foot? Or you could suggest that he ask prospective landlords what the expected heating costs for the unit would be, with any significant inaccuracy voiding the rental contract? This might help him see that he’s best where he is…
DeleteWe love Jim, but where I think he's messing up is that people generally fill their propane tanks 2x a year (minimally). If he's smart, he filled his propane up in the summer when the rates are cheaper. He used that propane and then filled his tank up once again in the winter. He believes that that one propane fillup is the amount of fuel to heat for the winter. It's not. He's filling up 2x a year and only counting the winter fill up. We do love our tenants, but we would never talk one into staying. That's not our job. We provide a good place. We put in stairs to the creek bank so he could get himself safely down to the creek bank to watch the eagles and wildlife. We replaced his furnace. In the end, he'll decide whether that is enough.
DeleteI'm just loving that 83.3 M. But do you think it will be enough to do the job?
ReplyDeleteYou really do have a wonderful tenant. I hope the neighbor helps you to pay for this which was caused by his demolition.
The thing that really, really bugs me is that if anyone else behaved like that in a courtroom they would be jailed. America has got to get over this fear of a civil war if tRUMP is held accountable in any way. The man needs to be confronted by accountability, and so does his MAGA ilk. And there is no fucking way that the speaker of the house should be speaking to tRUMP daily. And all this constitution bullshit being spouted: 200 years ago, the man would have been hung for treason on far less proof than we have now.
DeleteI think it's wonderful and appropriate that he be forced to pay the woman he raped. He truly is a piece of shit.
ReplyDeleteI hope the neighbor that pulled down the house to build a parking lot, pays for the damage done.
It will be interesting to see how that all turns out.
DeleteI was hoping for 100 million reasons, but I am happy with 83.3 m. I heard that the money has to be deposited in an account for her until the appeals are exhausted. I hope that is true. I want it to exist.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mess with the drain. People just don't think before they do things. How wonderful to have an understanding tenant with wonderful friends!
What will be interesting is who is the company he hired to do the work and were the appropriate permits received.
DeleteYour tenants seem to be very good people. Hopefully the drains can be repaired soon and some sort of compensation paid.
ReplyDeleteThey are. We are very lucky. We hear some real horror stories and count our blessings.
DeleteI wasn't particularly concerned when I first heard about A/I but now it is troubling me and your tale adds to my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSo often tradespeople block and damage drains and they just don't care.
It will be interesting. I don't want to place blame just yet. The man's wife was yelling at the plumber and Tim saying, "My husband says you are not allowed to dig on our property." The plumber told Tim that legally, they cannot stop access to a public utility. It wasn't long and the husband was outside telling them that they could dig. Not sure what's going on there, but we will be taking plenty of pictures.
DeleteThat is very weird. It would freak me out! I am disturbed enough by those AI pop-ups that offer to help me out when I am looking for answers on websites.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have some lovely tenants.
It is very disturbing to me. In thinking about it after the fact, I think that the people behind it might just be the same sort of people who post pictures of scantily clad women who are lonely. Facebook puts up the obligatory warning about it being AI which ticks the boxes and keeps them out of the hotseat, legally, but honestly, who would respond to a message like that? One that comes with that alert. I'm tempted to answer it with some bullshit scenario in my life (I want to marry my cat and my family is against it, waaaaaaaahhhhh!) and see if I get a response from someone who barely speaks english. I'm so curious. But I read a thing about woman who feels a real relationship to the AI she messages. Saddest thing ever.
DeleteThank goodness for decent people. I hope the drain problem is sorted to everyone's satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteThe world gets weirder every day.
I know. That really did freak me out.
DeleteI don't know what to make of AI. I have used used it to insert one or two things into photos for play purposes, but I have said so. As far as weather goes, I would just as soon it would be colder and snowier at this time of year than the present mild and slushy.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree.
DeleteThere is so much spam and weird messages these days as people try to take advantage of us. It's cruel and must be illegal. I block or delete anything I do not recognize often without even opening it up as it could be dangerous to my computer or phone. Sorry about the plumbing trouble. Glad her neighbors are rallying round!
ReplyDeleteI really do think the disclaimer that this was an AI message is what allows Meta/Facebook to sidestep any legal hot water. But if they can identify them, why can't they simply block those messages. Anyone that is messaging hundreds of facebook users privately is up to no good. And how that list is populated is all these mindless memes that say things like "It's my birthday, and I'm ugly. I bet I get no likes..." and all these kindhearted people like the post which gives the scammer their list. "Do not scroll past this without typing Amen." A thousand amens follow. Bam. The scammers have a list of potential victims. People are not smart about these things, and it frustrates me so much that I left facebook. I go back about once a week and I check my kids' profiles for the latest pictures, but that's it. I IM. I don't respond to posts at all.
DeleteI was watching and had a very "aha moment" when this was announced and you made me smile with this statement: I've got 83.3 million reasons to celebrate. He HAS to pay it!
ReplyDeleteMarcia in Colorado
Good news to me as well. I read a thing that is interesting. He will continue to run his mouth, and the charges will add up. His base will side with him because...well...that's what they do. What he doesn't seem to realize is that the more he runs his mouth, the more he alienates the folks he needs to attract. His base is not big enough to get him re-elected.
DeleteFrom your blog to the voting goddesses ears! The MAGAts are still thinking it's all left-wing propaganda! They refuse to see 🙈 or hear 🙉 the truth!
DeleteMarcia in Colorado
They are so disconnected from reality that they are simply a lost cause. Let them think their own thoughts. The rest of us here can talk sense.
DeleteSo you got that AI thing as a text message? That IS creepy.
ReplyDeleteWay back in the early '80s, when we got our first home computer (an Apple IIe), it came with a program that simulated talking to a therapist. I think her name was Helga? Anyway, it took whatever text you gave it and mostly spat parts of it back at you, phrased as a question. I imagine the AI model might be more interesting but yes, creepy.
Is the neighbor who damaged the pipe going to help foot the bill?
No. On the facebook messaging app.
DeleteIt will be very interesting what happens there. We will take pictures. We will listen to what the plumber finds. I can tell you that he will not pay for it without being taken to court.
Oh I do hope you're right about tRump not having enough base to get re-elected. I also am wary of AI, mainly the invisible bots that seem like playful actions on FB. Many friends and relatives fall into those holes. My blogs are still read mainly from Russia, so I know that goog herself has no way of stopping, even if she's monitoring.
ReplyDeleteReally??? Oh my gosh that would be scary as heck. I don't know if I would keep blogging if that were the case.
DeleteI've pretty much lost confidence in humanity, or at least Republican humanity, that any amount of reasons or convictions will do anything but strengthen the man. I think the only reason that will stop him is a massive coronary.
ReplyDeleteThat A.I. message does sound creepy and I'm not sure I fully understand what happened or how you received it. But like Doug said above, I'm feeling less likely that I'll be able to protect myself from things like that as the years go by. Hopefully my children can protect me until I'm no longer needing protection.
I am not sure why or how I received it either. I don't comment on facebook. I may be receiving tons of comments on old posts from widowed veterans and doctors who beg my forgiveness but I am so scintillatingly witty and gorgeous that they are compelled to beg for me to send a friend request. Maybe my lack of response has caused them to feel I am lonely and need a fake family since I don't seem open to a fake lover.
DeleteI would have been creeped out too….very much
ReplyDeleteI mean, what a strange thing, and why would anyone respond to something like that...but people do. I read about one woman who feels that her interaction with an AI generated character makes her feel important and validated. How sad is that?
DeleteLOVE your tiny note at the end about the big bucks. But he doesn't have that much money! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteShe grabbed him by the pursey.
Delete