Thanks for asking and letting me ramble on a bit. It was nice to read and see all the support on here. And seeing how others cope and the advice was a big support as well. Im always nervous to open up about panic attacks because they don’t seem like a real thing unless you have had one.
Also, I love Webworm. This is an amazing community and one I’m proud to be a part of. When I joined, it was because I loved all the conspiracy theory and religious stuff but I stayed because everyone on here is amazing. Just beautiful human beings being beautiful human beings. I’ve read a good portion of the comments, and though some of us have been struggling, just seeing everyone rally behind one another puts a smile on my face. We need more of that in this world.
Thank you so much for being vulnerable Adam. As someone who struggled with alcohol, and also anxiety I also felt less alone. The anxiety is still there, but we both have made big steps!
Glad you felt comfortable enough to open up, Adam.
I first had a panic attack in college, and it was terrifying because it came out of nowhere and I had no idea what it was. I know of panic attacks, but I didn't know what the symptoms were. I thought I must be having a heart attack. I was a second away from calling 911 but instead I called my parents, and they calmly explained what was likely happening and stayed on the phone with me until it subsided. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go through it alone.
I love that the webworm community makes us feel comfortable enough to speak about things like this. You're so right about panic attacks not seeming real unless you've had them. I get more anxiety attacks than panic attacks, and my partner who has never had anything like that happen really struggles to understand.
Glad the comments seemed to have helped, David. Sometimes it's just knowing that other people still care that's enough. Can't say you can get that in too many other places online these days.
I'm going to am outdoor movie screening tonight in a park in downtown LA put on by Cinespia. It's The Two Towers, so I know David isn't interested, but if you're in the area and looking for something to do you should check it out! They screen all types of movies through out the year, most in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
I can't do it. I can't get through the video. It's too cringe for me. I gave up at bunny ears. Tickets from my city to NZ are only $1,400 the week of your event! Not bad, but I'm already doing too much in June and I feel like I should stay home and be good in July. I hope you do more events in LA so one of these times I'll be able to make it.
It's just way, way too "pretend emotional" in the personas, and superficial in the aspects of the conversation that are generated. At a superficial glance it seems more interesting and thought-provoking than upon deeper reflection.
But maybe I think that because I just don't have any interest in these systems. Any time I see one of them I go back to the initial Kubrick first half of "A.I." and think about those characters.
Edit: Going back to that YouTube video from OpenAI and reading the comments is actually more entertaining than the video itself, such as "Why does it feel like the ai don't want to sing and are being held at gunpoint forced to sing for the video".
Goodness I bailed on the video early enough that I didn’t get to the bunny ears or the singing! As soon as I realised the ‘female’ sounding AI sounded sultry I got the ick so bad I felt sick! Wtf 🤮
Thanks to everybody for sharing rich, beautiful portions of their soul. I always come away feeling nourished. Grr I'm away in Taupo for a friend's birthday that weekend in July so will miss the NZ pop-up, it's going to be a fantastic event!
OMG, for no good reason I've yet to see Tickled and could stream, as now have Docplay, but should I wait till July and risk not getting a ticket. Dilemma!!!
That AI sess was indeed a bit ick but demonstrates some cleverness of technology. At least they're still compliant. No "I can't do that, Hal"-esq carry on yet.
AAAAHHHH! New Arab Strap! I'm of their generation BUT I did not get into them until a few years ago and became platonically-not-crazy-obsessed with Aidan Moffat's work. I have a spotify list, "I love Aidan Moffat," which has not only Arab Strap but also his solo work. Ahem.
Lovely to see your face (and cat t shirt) on NZ screens this evening during the Web of Chaos doco. As I admittedly was only half listening, I can't really comment on the content of the dock, other than it is probably not going to be watched by those who need to, or don't already have at least a small understanding of *waves arms* all of this.
P.S. You were still the "hopeful ending" of the doco
Oh, Henrietta Harris' beaut t-shirt! I love that shirt so much.
I really like Justin Pemberton's work, so was really happy to be a part of it. He really has an amazing ability to create these amazing landscapes and moods with file footage to tell a story. It's really hard to get that right. He does.
I can tell when it re-airs as I get a lot of extreme conservatives like Bob McCoskrie from Family First on my social media moaning about it.
Oh, it is a Webworm piece from before I jumped on board 😭 I'm always keeping an eye out for cat-eear for my almost 10year old son as he LOVES cats (might show you his "Cat Wall" of artwork next time you put a shout out for photos... which reminds me, new phone, better check I'll get those notifications), unfortunately cut animal clothing for his age group isn't in his style.
I didn't realise it was a re-airing. It played on TVNZ 1 in the timeslot that used to be Sunday, so I had actually wondered if it was somehow intertwined with Sunday
It was an uplifting post David & the comments definitely came from the heart.
I may need to find a fellow Flightless Bird substack reader, up here in Whangarei, who'd like to head to the big smoke of Tamaki Makaurau in July to attend to your pop up.
In the meantime I watched Web of Chaos lastnight & was awed at the commitment of you all who researched & had to listen, watch & follow the terror & loathing simmering beneath the surface around us all. I do hope you all had access to quality counseling to prevent you losing YOUR marbles in the process.
Hugs & thanks again for doing what you & your fellow journalists do each day to keep us informed.
Big fan of Justin Pemberton's work so happy to be a (very small) part of that documentary. Thanks for the kind words... I know Whangarei has a big base of people down the disinfo tunnel. If not Auckland, I may bump into you in my favourite secondhand bookshop, the Piggery!
(But yes, I hope you can make it to Auckland for the popup and/or Tickled screening!
I just watched Web of Chaos and man was it depressing. I can't believe the stamina and fortitude of those people who wade through the dross of humanity. I'm also really weirded out how it seems legally and socially acceptable for people to post death threats online.
Cyberhugs to all those brave journos and researchers chasing these stories. I could never do something like that.
Thanks for asking and letting me ramble on a bit. It was nice to read and see all the support on here. And seeing how others cope and the advice was a big support as well. Im always nervous to open up about panic attacks because they don’t seem like a real thing unless you have had one.
Also, I love Webworm. This is an amazing community and one I’m proud to be a part of. When I joined, it was because I loved all the conspiracy theory and religious stuff but I stayed because everyone on here is amazing. Just beautiful human beings being beautiful human beings. I’ve read a good portion of the comments, and though some of us have been struggling, just seeing everyone rally behind one another puts a smile on my face. We need more of that in this world.
Thank you so much for being vulnerable Adam. As someone who struggled with alcohol, and also anxiety I also felt less alone. The anxiety is still there, but we both have made big steps!
Glad you felt comfortable enough to open up, Adam.
I first had a panic attack in college, and it was terrifying because it came out of nowhere and I had no idea what it was. I know of panic attacks, but I didn't know what the symptoms were. I thought I must be having a heart attack. I was a second away from calling 911 but instead I called my parents, and they calmly explained what was likely happening and stayed on the phone with me until it subsided. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go through it alone.
I will also say I just ordered my Webworm shirts! So excited to sport them!
Ramble all you want brother. We're here for it.
I love that the webworm community makes us feel comfortable enough to speak about things like this. You're so right about panic attacks not seeming real unless you've had them. I get more anxiety attacks than panic attacks, and my partner who has never had anything like that happen really struggles to understand.
Glad you're feeling better! You've created a wonderful community of worms here 💖
As a fan of somewhat "louder" music, I do find it very funny how fans refer to each other: NIN fans are pigs. Slipknot fans are maggots.
At this rate you'd you'd think Webworm was a metal band!
"Worm" is already a death metal band according to the wonderfully named "Encyclopaedia Metallum" https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Worm/3540398560 - I have no idea what their music is like...
"Don't fall into despair, fall into community." Another great quote for the fridge! Thank you webworm reader's and David :)
These are good people, huh.
Glad the comments seemed to have helped, David. Sometimes it's just knowing that other people still care that's enough. Can't say you can get that in too many other places online these days.
I'm going to am outdoor movie screening tonight in a park in downtown LA put on by Cinespia. It's The Two Towers, so I know David isn't interested, but if you're in the area and looking for something to do you should check it out! They screen all types of movies through out the year, most in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Hope everybody has a relaxing weekend!
I can't do it. I can't get through the video. It's too cringe for me. I gave up at bunny ears. Tickets from my city to NZ are only $1,400 the week of your event! Not bad, but I'm already doing too much in June and I feel like I should stay home and be good in July. I hope you do more events in LA so one of these times I'll be able to make it.
It's just way, way too "pretend emotional" in the personas, and superficial in the aspects of the conversation that are generated. At a superficial glance it seems more interesting and thought-provoking than upon deeper reflection.
But maybe I think that because I just don't have any interest in these systems. Any time I see one of them I go back to the initial Kubrick first half of "A.I." and think about those characters.
Edit: Going back to that YouTube video from OpenAI and reading the comments is actually more entertaining than the video itself, such as "Why does it feel like the ai don't want to sing and are being held at gunpoint forced to sing for the video".
Goodness I bailed on the video early enough that I didn’t get to the bunny ears or the singing! As soon as I realised the ‘female’ sounding AI sounded sultry I got the ick so bad I felt sick! Wtf 🤮
You gotta stick around for the singing at least!
Thanks to everybody for sharing rich, beautiful portions of their soul. I always come away feeling nourished. Grr I'm away in Taupo for a friend's birthday that weekend in July so will miss the NZ pop-up, it's going to be a fantastic event!
OMG, for no good reason I've yet to see Tickled and could stream, as now have Docplay, but should I wait till July and risk not getting a ticket. Dilemma!!!
Why not both? It’s intriguing enough to watch twice.
I could, but kind of like the idea of seeing it first up with an audience. No fear of spoilers as know what it's about even though haven't seen. *
* Bit like LOTR, Ha!
I like to think with 300 tickets you'll make it in. If not, take my seat.
That AI sess was indeed a bit ick but demonstrates some cleverness of technology. At least they're still compliant. No "I can't do that, Hal"-esq carry on yet.
Have a great weekend everyone.
AAAAHHHH! New Arab Strap! I'm of their generation BUT I did not get into them until a few years ago and became platonically-not-crazy-obsessed with Aidan Moffat's work. I have a spotify list, "I love Aidan Moffat," which has not only Arab Strap but also his solo work. Ahem.
I'm glad you're feeling better David!
Can you link me to that playlist, please?
I was wrong! It's just his solo work.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0lGq1jqDyklkKnw4f0Eju9?si=67849f8c8cdc4d06
David, you need to come home and investigate Noel Edmonds and his antics. There's a lot brewing in Ngātīmoti...
I feel like Stuff has been covering that story in a pretty compelling way! Sounds to me like a rich narcissist doing their thing.
PS: I grew up with Noel's House Party - and four years ago wrote about him here on Webworm (literally just remembered this now): https://www.webworm.co/p/meeting-your-heroes
Webworm has an amazing community of people! Thanks to all for your insights, your challenges, and your victories.
Looking forward to July 13th!
Lovely to see your face (and cat t shirt) on NZ screens this evening during the Web of Chaos doco. As I admittedly was only half listening, I can't really comment on the content of the dock, other than it is probably not going to be watched by those who need to, or don't already have at least a small understanding of *waves arms* all of this.
P.S. You were still the "hopeful ending" of the doco
Oh, Henrietta Harris' beaut t-shirt! I love that shirt so much.
I really like Justin Pemberton's work, so was really happy to be a part of it. He really has an amazing ability to create these amazing landscapes and moods with file footage to tell a story. It's really hard to get that right. He does.
I can tell when it re-airs as I get a lot of extreme conservatives like Bob McCoskrie from Family First on my social media moaning about it.
I think this old Webworm pieces captures a lot of what I was trying to say - a good read (from a guest writer) if you have time: https://www.webworm.co/p/worshipping-at-the-church-of-anti
Oh, it is a Webworm piece from before I jumped on board 😭 I'm always keeping an eye out for cat-eear for my almost 10year old son as he LOVES cats (might show you his "Cat Wall" of artwork next time you put a shout out for photos... which reminds me, new phone, better check I'll get those notifications), unfortunately cut animal clothing for his age group isn't in his style.
I didn't realise it was a re-airing. It played on TVNZ 1 in the timeslot that used to be Sunday, so I had actually wondered if it was somehow intertwined with Sunday
It was an uplifting post David & the comments definitely came from the heart.
I may need to find a fellow Flightless Bird substack reader, up here in Whangarei, who'd like to head to the big smoke of Tamaki Makaurau in July to attend to your pop up.
In the meantime I watched Web of Chaos lastnight & was awed at the commitment of you all who researched & had to listen, watch & follow the terror & loathing simmering beneath the surface around us all. I do hope you all had access to quality counseling to prevent you losing YOUR marbles in the process.
Hugs & thanks again for doing what you & your fellow journalists do each day to keep us informed.
Big fan of Justin Pemberton's work so happy to be a (very small) part of that documentary. Thanks for the kind words... I know Whangarei has a big base of people down the disinfo tunnel. If not Auckland, I may bump into you in my favourite secondhand bookshop, the Piggery!
(But yes, I hope you can make it to Auckland for the popup and/or Tickled screening!
Love the Piggery!
Fingers crossed for July David!
I just watched Web of Chaos and man was it depressing. I can't believe the stamina and fortitude of those people who wade through the dross of humanity. I'm also really weirded out how it seems legally and socially acceptable for people to post death threats online.
Cyberhugs to all those brave journos and researchers chasing these stories. I could never do something like that.
Glad you’re feeling better. I love that AI.. it’s funny, verging on AI abuse, at least some light humiliation.. can AI be tickled?
Unfortunately I think AI is doing the tickling (of our brains).
The contrast between the humanity of the comments and the artificiality of the Chat GPT bots is priceless. Great piece, thanks worms and David.