Quote from: Sephirah on April 12, 2025, 06:55:55 PMI'm half convinced its a myth.

Sorry Sephirah. It's not a myth. Just ask any of my many ex-wives.

Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on April 12, 2025, 07:04:16 PMSorry Sephirah. It's not a myth. Just ask any of my many ex-wives.

Hah, I'll take your word for it, Annika. When I was a kid, my parents had to take me to a sleep clinic because I would wet the bed. Too much information, I know. But the reason, they said, was because I slept so deeply I was basically dead to the world. To the point that my bladder was like "We warned you, it's not our fault you're comatose!" I've grown out of it now but yeah... you could have a mar di gras in the bedroom and I'd be like "Oh hey, honey, the room seems a bit disorganised this morning." lol.

Quote from: Sephirah on April 12, 2025, 06:55:55 PMWhen I sleep, a literal earthquake couldn't wake me up, lol. I don't think I have ever heard anyone snore. I'm half convinced its a myth.

I wish I could sleep like that! I don't sleep well. Lots of issues - physical and mental, so I toss and turn all night. Sometimes, I just give up and go to the living room and play Solitaire on the computer until I can go back to sleep. 

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 12, 2025, 08:24:57 PMI wish I could sleep like that! I don't sleep well. Lots of issues - physical and mental, so I toss and turn all night. Sometimes, I just give up and go to the living room and play Solitaire on the computer until I can go back to sleep. 

Aww that sucks, Lori. I have also gone 50 hours without sleep before and literally hallucinated. I thought sleep deprivation is something that people just say but no... it's actually a thing. And quite scary.

Can I offer you a suggestion? Take a long hot bath with lavender oil before bed. It will do wonders, girl. Trust me. Also a few drops on your pillow. <3

Quote from: Sephirah on April 12, 2025, 08:33:09 PMAww that sucks, Lori. I have also gone 50 hours without sleep before and literally hallucinated. I thought sleep deprivation is something that people just say but no... it's actually a thing. And quite scary.

Can I offer you a suggestion? Take a long hot bath with lavender oil before bed. It will do wonders, girl. Trust me. Also a few drops on your pillow. <3

It doesn't help. I have tried everything. Part of it is chronic back pain from my spine injuries and part of it is due to PTSD. Which is why I need to get away from apartment living. The people next door have a two-year-old demon child that screams day and night. The parents let it go on for hours. I run my dishwasher, humidifier, and air conditioner, and put on headphones and it still drives me up the wall.

That is why I am looking for a two-bedroom house with a yard in a quiet neighborhood. This building was new and I was the first tenant when it opened a year and a half ago. I thought it would be great. Nope. Never again.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 12, 2025, 09:03:09 PMThe people next door have a two-year-old demon child that screams day and night. The parents let it go on for hours. I run my dishwasher, humidifier, and air conditioner, and put on headphones and it still drives me up the wall.

Have you considered an exorcist? Does this child have an affinity for giant black dogs?

You can get sleep systems which elevate you while you sleep, Lori. Maybe that would help. If you weren't lying flat? I had that issue when I left the navy. I left due to a back injury and for like 6 months I couldn't sleep because I just couldn't get comfortable.

Quote from: Sephirah on April 12, 2025, 09:05:30 PMMaybe that would help. If you weren't lying flat? I had that issue when I left the navy. I left due to a back injury and for like 6 months I couldn't sleep because I just couldn't get comfortable.

I sleep on my side. I can relax on my back for a while, but sleep on my side so that my neck is supported. My lower back was injured from an assault while in the Army. Now I have fused vertebrae in my neck too. I am always in motion. I can't sit, stand, or lie in any position for more than an hour or two then I have to move and change position. Over the years, I have learned to not wake up fully when turning over. But I sleep light enough that ambient sounds can wake me - which then triggers the PTSD Fight or Flight Reflex.

And Rapid City has trains that go through the city. On Wednesdays, they come about every two hours day and night. Federal law says they must blow their horn at every rail/road crossing. I have laid awake and counted; fifteen times they blow that dang horn. UGH.

And people wonder why I loved living in the forest for months at a time. People are just too noisy.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 12, 2025, 09:19:33 PMAnd people wonder why I loved living in the forest for months at a time. People are just too noisy.

Girl, I think you might be my spirit animal. <3 I could not agree more.

Maybe you need a tent, not an apartment. But like a good satellite internet service.

I have seriously considered becoming a nomad many times. When I built the camper on my truck, I had that in mind. My inspiration came from a group of nomads that travel full-time, in RVs, tents, cars, and vans. Bob Wells is a legend and his website (https://cheaprvliving.com/) became the "Susan's Place" for nomads. He has many articles on everything from finances to safety to medical care to spirituality. Definitely worth reading.

I considered becoming a nomad as recently as last year. I went shopping for an RV to live in full-time. I couldn't get financing back then. Now, I'm not sure I want to spend that much time driving from campsite to campsite. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Now my focus is on my transition and enjoying my retirement. 

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 12, 2025, 09:32:47 PMI have seriously considered becoming a nomad many times. When I built the camper on my truck, I had that in mind. My inspiration came from a group of nomads that travel full-time, in RVs, tents, cars, and vans. Bob Wells is a legend and his website (https://cheaprvliving.com/) became the "Susan's Place" for nomads. He has many articles on everything from finances to safety to medical care to spirituality. Definitely worth reading.

I considered becoming a nomad as recently as last year. I went shopping for an RV to live in full-time. I couldn't get financing back then. Now, I'm not sure I want to spend that much time driving from campsite to campsite. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Now my focus is on my transition and enjoying my retirement. 

That's fair, Lori. I think whatever you decide, as long as you're not exposed to screaming offspring, it's a win! <3

Treat yourself to a good massage though, sweetie. It might do you some good.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 12, 2025, 09:03:09 PMThe people next door have a two-year-old demon child that screams day and night. The parents let it go on for hours. I run my dishwasher, humidifier, and air conditioner, and put on headphones and it still drives me up the wall.

ROFL! I've got a ten-year-old demon passed out on my couch, and I'm sneaking around tiptoeing, and typing with one finger on my keyboard just to avoid waking him. 

Quote from: Lilis on April 12, 2025, 11:37:49 PMROFL! I've got a ten-year-old demon passed out on my couch, and I'm sneaking around tiptoeing, and typing with one finger on my keyboard just to avoid waking him. 

   I understand that kids are noisy. Two-year-olds especially. But this kid doesn't yell, she screams. Makes the hair on my neck stand up. After an hour or two I am ready to stab someone. 

Lori and Sephirah, I can identify with no-sleep nights.  I have a condition called "restless leg syndrome". It's genetic in my family.  I have played endless games of Bubble Burst on my phone.  Sometimes, I put on my ear buds and listen to zen music.

I love the idea of "a long hot bath with lavender oil before bed" but I would need a life preserver to make sure I don't drown.

Quote from: Sephirah on April 12, 2025, 07:11:27 PMI slept so deeply I was basically dead to the world.

You remind me of my mother, Sephirah (and that is a compliment)! Because of her work schedule, she tended to sleep in despite being the mother of seven unruly and inconsiderate children. To the best of my memory, she was never once awakened by the chaos inside our home. My father, on the other hand, could hear a pin drop on the other side of the house. We were much more 'ruly' and considerate when he was working graveyard.

And now for my morning rant...

I woke up this morning to a notice that Windows Update needed to restart my PC. Why? I never gave permission to install any updates! So I checked and it was the April 8th version of the Cumulative Update for Windows 11 24H2. OK, go ahead and restart.

Once it was done, I immediately went in and checked to see what was installed without my permission, turn off stuff that I had previously disabled, and uninstalled crap that I don't use and don't want (like all the Xbox apps).

In this version, we have a new service that was secretly installed and started, called WSAIFabricSvc. What the heck is this? I have too many services running without my consent, so I want to know what this is.

(Google)What is Windows 11 WSAIFabricSvc?
Provides support to communicate with AIFabric in Local service context over COM. This service exists in Windows 11 only.

The first red flag is that it wants to communicate with AIFabric.
The second red flag is that it runs in a Local Service context, which means that even as the Administrator of this computer, I have no control over it. Wrong. Not on my PC.

(Google)What is AIFabric?
Fabric AI, an open-source framework, aims to augment humans using AI by providing a modular system for solving problems with crowdsourced AI prompts, often called "patterns". It's designed to be a user-friendly way to integrate AI into everyday tasks and workflows.

Why is this a problem?
When I was in school, we were taught how to do math. Everything from simple arithmetic to advanced geometry and calculus. When my oldest stepdaughter went to school, instead of teaching her how to do math, they taught her how to use a calculator. When my son went to school, they spent an entire class in the Computer Lab watching an online class teaching History. The teacher just sat at a desk babysitting. Today, we have adults who can't balance a checkbook because they don't write checks. And if they did, they would need a calculator or a computer to do the math.

Back in the early days of computer languages, you learned logic skills and how to format data so that the computer could execute the instructions. You had to declare your variables, assign types, and double-check your For-Next loops to make sure there was an exit.

Then Microsoft came up with Windows to make everything easier. Now complex instructions can be run with the click of a button. Then the first hints of AI showed up. Windows had this annoying PaperClip character that would keep popping up and asking if you needed help.

Then Windows search features were added so that Windows can constantly search your hard drive and index everything on it. People kept turning it off because they knew where their stuff was and all that searching and indexing was slowing down the computer. To counteract this rebellion, Windows added Cortana, the search assistant that is more annoying than the paperclip, but now, you can't turn it off. You can disable notifications, even disable the Windows Search Service, but it continues to run anyway.

The next feature that no one asked for was Copilot. Like Cortana, it is a search feature with an AI interface. It not only searches your hard drive but also "the Cloud" and the internet to find exactly what you need. Again, you cannot uninstall it, but you can disable its notifications. It is still there as an integral part of the computer's operating system.

Now, the next phase: "designed to be a user-friendly way to integrate AI into everyday tasks and workflows." And how does it do this? "by providing a modular system for solving problems with crowdsourced AI prompts, often called 'patterns'." Crowdsourced AI prompts. Where is the data coming from for these "crowdsourced AI prompts"? From all of the computers whose hard drives have been searched and indexed and stored "in the Cloud".

But... but... (something privacy) ... (something security)... they wouldn't do that. I won't let them! My computer is old so they don't have access to my stuff!

AI fabrics can integrate seamlessly with your organization's current systems, allowing teams to implement solutions incrementally without needing to disrupt current operations or rip and replace decades' worth of investments and infrastructure. Instead, it can be a modular bridge connecting past and future technologies.

Yes, I am overreacting. Or am I?

In my thread, "Is Anyone Paying Attention?" I raised the warning about Musk and Trump's interest in AI technologies. That all of the DOGE visits to every federal agency under the guise of rooting out fraud, is actually there to gain access to their database.
https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,250087.msg2293824.html#msg2293824

The government has already gained access to non-government records from Google, Amazon, Verizon, AT&T, and others. That is not counting the databases collecting information from millions of Smart TVs.

Now imagine they can link all of this information and store it in a single database for AI-powered search engines to access, search, and index. The AI then has access to unlimited numbers of "patterns".

AI fabric is an evolution of the data fabric architectural approach. Data fabrics, which emerged in the past decade or so, combine the best aspects of data warehouses and data lakes. They provide a seamless, unified layer over an organization's data estate that makes data management quicker, easier, and more scalable. ... Basically, you have to get all your data in one place before you can think about implementing AI. Data isn't worth much if it isn't organized.
Source Article on AI Fabric

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 

Well I know why you do not need a housekeeper Lori, it is because you still do Windows.

It seems to have lots of bloatware and it is harder for the average person to shut off.

Then when you do, an update can turn them back on.

I am concerned about the feature that records everything you do, not that I have anything to hide (other than logins, passwords, access codes, and other private information.  Gee. That is scary).

Supposedly this is done to help you recover things you did during your Windows session. 
Maybe it can catch criminals and I suppose that is good.

Microsoft says you can shut off the feature but would many would know how to?

But I cannot help but think this information can be accessible to others somehow, and that may be dangerous for the user.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 13, 2025, 10:23:59 AMMicrosoft says you can shut off the feature but would many would know how to?

Most people won't bother. And it is a lie.

To prove it, I went into Windows Services and disabled the Windows Search service, set the properties on each of my hard drives to "do not index" and rebooted the PC. When I go into Task Manager, there are not one, or two, but three or more Windows Search services running, and you cannot "end task". They just start back up again.

Part of it is an operating system function. The system needs to know where file X is located to run App Y as commanded by the User. But Windows goes beyond that and indexes things and starts loading what it calls "pre-fetch data". It is trying to anticipate what you will do next and starts loading that data in the background. So when you click that button you won't have to wait the exceptionally long time of 0.78 seconds.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 13, 2025, 10:36:25 AMMost people won't bother. And it is a lie.

To prove it, I went into Windows Services and disabled the Windows Search service, set the properties on each of my hard drives to "do not index" and rebooted the PC. When I go into Task Manager, there are not one, or two, but three or more Windows Search services running, and you cannot "end task". They just start back up again.

Part of it is an operating system function. The system needs to know where file X is located to run App Y as commanded by the User. But Windows goes beyond that and indexes things and starts loading what it calls "pre-fetch data". It is trying to anticipate what you will do next and starts loading that data in the background. So when you click that button you won't have to wait the exceptionally long time of 0.78 seconds.

It is trying to make the OS provide better service to the user by staging this data.
It has done that for years though, right?

Perhaps a disk does that itself with its buffer area and its own controlling software?

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 13, 2025, 10:56:48 AMIt has done that for years though, right?

Perhaps a disk does that itself with its buffer area and its own controlling software?

Yes, it has been going on for decades.

The disk does have software and a file on the hard drive that tells it where everything is located. Files are placed anywhere convenient, but sometimes there isn't enough free space where it wants to put it. So a file might get broken up into pieces (called fragmentation) and the disk index keeps track of where all the pieces are.

But what I am talking about is a function of the Operating System. It tells the disk controller what it needs and the disk provides it. But, to speed things up (because mechanical drives are relatively slow), the OS places copies of what it thinks it needs in memory for quick access. That is taken even further by adding in data from the internet and advertisers to show you "recommended" things that you never asked for. The OS thinks it knows what you might be interested in by previous activity, which means it needs to track your activity.

That is just on the local level within your machine. Now imagine all of that data on a global scale and an AI system that is searching, indexing, storing, and tracking all of it. It is not out of the realm of possibility.

From the movie, "The Big Short (2015)":
The NSA has a $52-billion budget and the ability to monitor tens of millions of calls a second. You think they're not using it?

Big Brother IS watching us.