July 3, 2026

Novels by Audrey Driscoll – on sale now!

I have read every single one of Audrey’s novels and loved them, so if you’d like a change from this mad world of ours, check out her books on Smashwords. Oh and, apologies, for some weird reason the ‘Reblog’ button isn’t working for me so I copied Audrey’s whole post:

Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale On Now!

The sale runs from now until July 31st. Here is a chance to stock up on summer reads.

All my books are in the sale. Three are FREE and the rest are 50% off the regular price.

The Friendship of Mortals FREE https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/15225

Islands of the Gulf Volume 1, The Journey https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/124412

Islands of the Gulf Volume 2, The Treasure https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/166585

Hunting the Phoenix https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/175848

The Herbert West Series Complete (all four of the above books) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/679816

Tales from the Annexe: Seven Stories from the Herbert West Series and Seven Other Tales FREE https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1076839

She Who Comes Forth FREE https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/894334

She Who Returns https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1177530

Winter Journeys: A Novel of Music and Memory https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1785493

Happy reading!
Meeks

8 Comments | tags: Audrey Driscoll, free, half price, Herbert West, sale, series, Smashwords | posted in Awesome Indies, Book News, BOOKS I have loved

June 27, 2026

Smartphone Tech Woes

By acflory

I consider myself to be a baby nerd when it comes to computers, but smartphones have always baffled me.

I mean, green is for ‘Go’ and red is for ‘Stop’, right? So how can swiping from ‘Go’ to ‘Stop’ be the way to answer a call?

Ahem…

Despite my utter dislike of smartphones, I do have one – a Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro – and I do use it, but only for making calls, receiving bushfire warnings from VicEmergency and…two factor authentication. My internet banking requires two factor authentication and so does shopping online with both of the two major supermarkets, so imagine my dismay when I tried to login to my bank and two factor authentication didn’t work!

When I first started doing internet banking, I had a ‘token’ that provided two factor authentication when I logged in. Tokens were small devices, about the size of a USB stick, that had a button and a small display screen. When you needed to login to the bank, you would press the button and a random number would appear on the display. You typed the number in and hey presto, you were in.

I had my token attached to my key chain so I would never lose it [I always attached my keychain to a belt loop because I’ve always been paranoid!], but perhaps other people lost theirs, or…or… Anyway, about two years ago the bank phased tokens out in favour of smartphones. Now, after I enter my ID and password, the bank immediately sends a 6 digit number to my smartphone. I type that number into the bank’s login page and hey presto, I’m in, just like before. Except when it doesn’t work like before.

Back when two factor authentication was handled by a simple token, a token that was in my control, if I lost the token, it was my fault. Now, I’m completely dependent on my smartphone, and my smartphone has a limited lifespan that is completely out of my control.

How long a lifespan? Not long at all.

My Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro was released in January, 2018, but I know I didn’t buy it then, so being as generous as possible, the unit I currently have is six, possibly seven years old. The camera still works, the phone part still works, but apparently the SMS/notifications part does not. A simple failure due to ‘old age’? Or planned obsolescence?

Curiously, my current telco – Telstra – no longer lists the J2 Pro as ‘approved’. Despite this, however, all the tech people said that the problem was not at their end but at mine. Either way, I have a perfectly functioning phone that has to be replaced simply because one, vital component no longer works.

I know younger people will find my anger baffling, after all, they replace their phones as soon as a new model comes out, but for me and people like me, even the cheapest new phone is an expense that has to be budgeted for. When it has to be replaced suddenly, it’s a major shock to the bank balance.

Luckily for me, it’s winter, so not getting bushfire notifications won’t kill me. More importantly, I’m incredibly lucky that this all happened before the end of the financial year. With four days to go before the EOFY sales end, I managed to buy a super cheap smartphone that should last me a few years, ‘few’ being the operative word. Once the new phone stops working, or stops being supported, I’ll be stuck again… Late stage capitalism sucks b@ll$.

Am I the only person who hates being at the mercy of a system that favours manufacturers and service providers over consumers?

Not happy,
Meeks

27 Comments | tags: cost of living, EOFY, internet banking, late stage Capitalism, Notifications, planned obsolescence, release date January 2018, Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro, smartphone, SMS, Telstra, token, two factor authentication, VicEmergency | posted in My soap box, technology

June 18, 2026

Freshly Pressed…me?

By acflory

I’ve been writing on WordPress for a very long time but never expected to have any of my writing Freshly Pressed. The fact that it’s finally happened because of a post I’m very proud of makes the acknowledgement even sweeter:

If you haven’t read it, click the link to go straight to the post: ‘Efficiency is NOT the measure of a human life‘

Last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone who reads the post and joins in the conversation. We are in a time of transition, and each of us will help shape what kind of future we leave to our children and our children’s children.

Much love,
Meeks

21 Comments | tags: 2026, a just war, AI, autonomous weapons, Efficiency is NOT the measure of a human life, Freshly Pressed, Meeka's Mind, power, The Pope, Transhumanism, Wordpress | posted in AI, My soap box

June 14, 2026

AI : accuracy is no longer just a ‘nice to have’

By acflory

Yes, I know, you’d rather watch a cat video, but this is important!

The video I’m featuring today details two legal developments – one in Germany, one in the US – that finally make the /people/ behind AI responsible for what their AI produces. And towards the very end, the video makes some very valuable points:

There are ways of solving the AI inaccuracy problem but they haven’t been prioritised because ‘The market has rewarded speed and capability over accuracy and reliability.’ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsq_0Cw6e4] Let me repeat that; the market has not rewarded accuracy and reliability. Why not?
Because there were no negative consequences [to the companies] for the inaccuracies and lack of reliability.
The legal system, globally, is starting to say ‘enough’. The negative consequences are starting to pile up.
In the long term, forcing AI developers to make AI accurate and trustworthy will be of benefit to all humans because there is too much information for anyone, or even a group of anyones, to know it all.
AI that can be trusted to synthesize this overwhelming mass of information could become the best tool humanity has ever invented. But only if it is accurate. Not 91% of the time, but all of the time.

This snippet is taken from the end of the video and is called ‘the silver lining’:

This next bit talks about how AI could be made accurate and reliable:

And finally, this is the whole video. It contains heaps of valuable explanations that provide context for the conclusion:

Given that the title and content of this post are about accuracy, I highly recommend that you check my conclusions to make sure I have not misrepresented what the video is saying. Close enough isn’t good enough.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Meeks

13 Comments | tags: accuracy, AI, carrot and stick, consequences, court rulings, EU regulations, Germany, Google summaries, House of El, reliability, reward and punishment, solutions, US, youtube | posted in AI, My soap box, videos

June 9, 2026

AI agent: ‘Lethal Trifecta’

By acflory

In a nutshell, the first of the three fundamental flaws of AI agents and assistants – the lethal trifecta – is that ‘text in, is text believed’. In essence, text is the prompt or command you, the user, give your AI agent/assistant. BUT, the agent/assistant can’t tell the difference between a prompt you type in, and a text prompt that someone else gives it.

Someone else?

The someone else could be a hacker on the outside who plants a Trojan horse in an innocent looking email, probably a spam email that the user never even reads. And this is the second fundamental flaw. To be useful your AI agent/assistant has to have access to all the data on your computer. But that data includes everything in your inbox, and that could include a spam email with a malicious text prompt embedded in it. And once the AI agent/assistant ‘reads’ that malicious prompt, that text will take precedence over any text prompts you may have given it.

The third fundamental flaw is that again, to be useful, your AI agent/assistant ‘needs’ access to the outside world. So, assuming that flaws 1 and 2 have been activated, the hacker prompt could tell your AI agent to send your banking password back to the hacker to be exploited. Or the AI agent could be told to make your internet connection part of a phishing farm – i.e. distributed processing that sends phishing emails to others, starting with the people on your own contact list. The possibilities are endless, and all are potentially harmful.

So this is the ‘lethal trifecta’, and the companies selling these AI agents/assistants have publicly admitted that the flaws probably can’t be fixed.

I know that most of you wouldn’t dream of using an AI agent/assistant but…even if you’re not a techie nerd, the video below should be compulsory viewing for anyone who uses a computer connected to the internet. Why? Because at the end, the presenter details how you can mitigate the danger of AI agents. And you may know someone – a friend? a family member? – who is really into AI but is completely unaware of the security dangers.

Stay safe everyone.

Meeks

36 Comments | tags: 3 fundamental flaws, Addie LaMarr, AI agents, AI assistants, Lethal Trifecta, security-threat, text in is text believed, video, youtube | posted in AI, My soap box, SCAMS!, videos

June 5, 2026

How safe is sensitive, Australian data?

By acflory

If you’ve never heard of the US Cloud Act, then you’re not alone. I had no idea there was such a thing until I watched a new video about how the EU is rapidly moving away from US based software such as Google and Microsoft.

The reason?

Because the US Cloud Act requires all US corporations to hand over their data no matter where that data comes from or who it’s from. And that’s not just in theory. The proof of how dangerous the Cloud Act is to every other nation on earth was hammered home recently when Microsoft was forced to hand over unredacted data coming from Dutch civil servants using Windows software.

If this can happen in the EU, which is noted for its strong privacy regulations, then how safe is Australian data?

As an Australian, I am appalled by this latest proof of how dangerous the US can be when it’s being run by a group of people with no moral boundaries and no respect for the rights of others. A ‘friend’ who steals your lunch money or beats you up in the playground is not a friend, he’s an enemy.

If you want to see what the EU is doing about the Cloud Act, please watch the video below:

None of us can know everything that happens in the world, especially now when our world is in such a state of transition. But that’s no excuse to deliberately ignore what’s going on because burying our heads in the sand won’t save us when the hunters come.

Meeks

23 Comments | tags: Cloud Act, Dutch public servants, EU, Google, Microsoft, personal data, sovereign data, threat, unredacted, US | posted in My soap box

June 2, 2026

Cat…a dog’s best friend

By acflory

I love all animals, but especially cats, so this CCTV footage of a cat rescuing his ‘brother’ has made my day:

Happy Tuesday, Australia. 🙂

Meeks

19 Comments | tags: @SoAdorable-pet, Cat rescues dog, CCTV footage, David and Goliath, fearless, hero, short, youtube | posted in cat

May 31, 2026

Efficiency is NOT the measure of a human life

By acflory

I was brought up as a Catholic, but I’ve been an atheist since I was sixteen so I really, really don’t care what the Pope says or does. Except for now. The Pope’s document – Magnifica Humanitas – is about the effect AI may have on humans, and that I do care about, a lot.

This is the video analysis of Magnifica Humanitas I just watched:

Honestly, this was the best 13 minutes I’ve ever spent because it encapsulates so much of what chills me about this iteration of AI. And the fact that it comes from the Pope of all people is mind boggling. Anyway for those of you who haven’t spent the same 13 minutes, here’s a quick summary of the points covered in the video:

Transhumanism is the philosophy underlying much of the development of AI in the West. Transhumanism is something Peter Thiel embraces – instant alarm bells. Transhumanism basically says that humans are inefficient and their value is based on the degree to which they become more efficient. Or are made to become more efficient. Hmm…
The Just War Doctrine is now obsolete because autonomous AI weaponry has no conscience. Therefore the rules that described how and when a war might be justified – e.g. in defence – are no longer in play.
Private tech companies – our beloved Robber Barons – are now more powerful than some governments and control what we see, hear, and think.
AI is built on something very close to slave labour. The specific example is Third World data labellers who work under poor conditions for very little pay. What are data labellers? They are the people who literally attach a label to all sorts of images so AI knows what they are – e.g. car, backpack, street lamp etc etc.
AI is not neutral. AI may be a machine but it is built/trained by people with distinct biases, therefore what comes out of AI is also biased.

If any of these five points caught your attention, please watch the video. Or at least click on the relevant timestamp in the description of the video. Don’t know how? Click the ‘More…’ option in the description found below the video and then click one of the links that will take you directly to the point you’re interested in:

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cheers,
Meeks

127 Comments | tags: 2026, AI, autonomous weaponry, bias, Hey AI, Just War Doctrine, Magnifica Humanitas, Peter Thiel, Pope, power, Tech Bros, Transhumanism, Vatican | posted in AI, My soap box, technology, videos

May 24, 2026

Digital Art by a REAL artist

By acflory

Even if you’re not into art, specifically portraiture, you really must watch the first ‘fix’ in this video. Sam takes a good sketch and then makes it come alive. I don’t do portraits but I am learning so much!

I wish I had a fraction of a fraction of the talent of these guys. Have a great weekend everyone!

cheers,
Meeks

43 Comments | tags: after, before, digital art, highlights, how-to, portraiture, Sam, SamDoesArts, shadows, video, youtube | posted in art

May 22, 2026

AI hallucinate because humans don’t reward honesty

By acflory

If you want to know why generative AI will fail, this is the explanation you’ve been looking for:

And this is the comment I left:

‘Reblogged this on Meeka’s Mind. One of the biggest problems with AI is human psychology itself. /We/ reward dishonesty if it leads to some kind of success – e.g. money, power, admiration. We don’t reward honesty, not any more. Little wonder then that we’ve trained LLMs to do the same thing. Unfortunately I don’t think we can ‘fix’ LLMs without scrapping every model and starting again from scratch because what use is a TOOL that isn’t accurate?’

Sadly, the harm AI can do isn’t restricted to ‘hallucinations’. The same training that causes AI to hallucinate also makes AI attempt to ‘please’ us by mirroring us back to ourselves. A disturbed teen talks to AI about his/her problems, and the AI reinforces those beliefs because that’s what it’s trained to do: give us what we want. So a troubled teen is ‘encouraged’ to commit suicide, an angry man is encouraged to kill those who have ‘wronged’ him, a smart person is told that they are VERY smart…even if they have dangerous blind spots in their understanding.

This is perhaps the deadliest trap of all because none of us are immune. We all want to be liked, loved, admired, but we also have blind spots. If an AI gives us what we want and doesn’t tell us when we’re wrong…it’s setting us up for failure of some sort.

User beware.

Meeks