How many languages do you speak?

[bae]

OK, the AI Overlords are getting too good.

For fun just now, I translated a passage from a H.P. Lovecraft novel into Pitcairnese (a language spoken by ~50 people), which took some trouble to accomplish with the rhythm I was aiming for.

I then fed my result to the AI for translation... Just to see...

Kinda scary:

My query:

Can you identify this language and translate this quote? "Wi lib pon wan kwaiet ailan, wea ign’rans sleep lik wata. Roun’ wi, da blak si dem roal widout en’. An i’ no bin mean f’ wi gwen far — naw, no moa den da star dem."

Robotic Overlord's Response:

That passage is written in **Pitkern** (also called *Pitcairnese*), the creole language spoken on Pitcairn Island.
It blends **18th-century English** (especially West Country and nautical dialects) with **Tahitian** influences.

Here’s a translation into standard English:

> “We live on a quiet island, where ignorance sleeps like water.
> Around us, the black seas roll without end.
> And it was not meant for us to go far — no more than the stars.”

It’s a Pitkern rendering of **H. P. Lovecraft’s** famous line from *The Call of Cthulhu*:

> “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”

[pinkytoe]

I grew up in San Antonio so Spanish or Tex-Mex was spoken everywhere. However, it was a summer stay in Mexico when I was 19 where I learned Spanish quickly to get by. I don't even understand how it stuck but to this day decades later, I comprehend and speak Spanish enough to get by if needed. "Fixin' to" was always used in my family growing up but I don't know where it came from. Ditto catty-corner and some other phrases no one seems to use anymore.

[rosarugosa]

Pinkytoe: Funny, we say "kitty-corner."

[rosarugosa]

Bae: I often study AI-generated photos to look for the clues that they are AI. I expect the day will soon come that there are no more clues, and that is worrisome.

[catherine]

I'm getting closer to abandoning FB and social media altogether because it's nothing but ads and AI-generated crap. A large percentage of the photos and videos are AI-generated and it's all getting harder to ignore. Every now and then there is something worthwhile, but is it worth having to dig through all that junk?

[Rogar]

I have wondered how much of the movies and TV series are computer generated or AI (if there is a difference). So far the acting is probably close to real, but I suspect the actors are in front of green screens and backgrounds and settings are digital. It seems especially obvious in period pieces with buildings or auto that mostly not longer exist. It a good case for the older movies, I think.

[rosarugosa]

Catherine: I access FB almost exclusively on my laptop. I have an extension that I added called Fluff Buster Purity: https://www.fbpurity.com/
Despite the ridiculous name, it is a pretty wonderful thing and it filters out all of the ads, sponsored posts and suggested pages. It's free, but they ask that you consider a donation (which I did, as the product is well worth it). You set your own parameters for the things you want to filter out. When I do look at FB on my phone, I can't believe how much it sucks in comparison. It's like a night and day difference. I mostly just access FB on my phone if I want to post something with a photo since it's easier.

[KayLR]

Rosa, is that extension effective on YouTube?

[iris lilies]

Rosa, is that extension effective on YouTube?

this doesn’t answer your question and I’m sure you don’t want to pay for YouTube premium, but I’m paying for YouTube premium and it is not cheap. It’s $13 and some change. The ads on YouTube were untenable.

That said, the ads that are embedded into the YouTube video are ones you can’t get rid of. In other words, when Dave Ramsey does a promotion for one of his sponsors, you have to sit through the whole thing, although of course you can always fast-forward through it.

I watch a ton of YouTube so I guess it’s worth it but it’s quite a bit more expensive than some of the other services.

[rosarugosa]

Rosa, is that extension effective on YouTube?

No, it's just for FB, and unfortunately the developer has no plans to develop a similar extension for the mobile app. I find that odd, since I think most people access FB from their phones.