Wait, there is an audio book version of this?

This has existed long before the AI hype. Dialog systems were around in the 80s, operating off of tapes. The concept itself is even older.

I ran an Asterisk server with speech recognition 20 years ago. Sure, TTS didn’t nearly have the recognition rates it has today, but it was enough to figure out the caller’s intent from the email message that was delivered after the fact.

I still run a very similar setup today, except I no longer self host and pretty much ever component has improved. Honestly, its a godsend to be able to deal with people or businesses that still rely on phone conversations, something I will never tolerate. I simply don’t do phone calls.

The latest Raspberry Pi cameras have decent sensors, variants with night vision are available. Axis makes reliable, network attached cameras.

Open-source software like Frigate or ZoneMinder exists.

https://github.com/blakeblackshear/frigate

https://github.com/ZoneMinder/zoneminder

Still, would you really want that? A half-baked device in your network, a device you suspect would constantly betray you, if given the chance?

I personally can’t imagine getting used to that. I’d despise the device (and myself probably).

Quick reminder that, if you’re working with foxes, echinococcosis is an issue in the US and Canada as well. It’s still pretty rare, but boy does it suck if you become infected.

When I moved to Europe, I worked as a ranger’s assistant for a while and vaccinations were mandatory. A screening of foxes revealed around 22% of all foxes screened (around 500 at the time) were infected.

If you work in or operate a sanctuary etc., I think it’d be worthwhile to think about getting the vaccine no matter what part of the world you’re in.

I’m 100% sure I can wash that throw.

In the 40s, fluoroscopy became available, basically giving you a real-time, animated view of an X-ray picture. And yes, it did have all the associated dangers of prolonged X-ray exposure.

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I’ve never been this far away from home…

Yeah, I get it. The first few days of medication were incredibly eye-opening, and I had taken a shitload of stimulants before, mind you.

It felt like somebody had flipped the switch for the 5 billion whispers that were constantly talking in the background. It was honestly shocking. That was how neurotypical people experience life?

Now, the downside: I actually started to miss those whispers. They were my voice, after all, and they were not only distractions, but also my emotions, my creativity, my wit, my charm. It’s not that those things are all gone, but they are certainly subdued, muted.

So, whenever circumstances allow me to, I like to go back to my old, unmedicated self.