Golf is two minigames thrown together

Deep thought of the day: Golf is basically two marginally related minigames thrown together. A bit like if football required a round of Lawn Bowling once the ball enters the goal area.

Planetary Entanglement

For some reason, I sometimes dream about the movement of planets on which I walk. I've had several dreams about sudden shifts in gravity as bodies move closer to each other, such as the moon drifting rapidly towards Earth.

Last night, I had another such dream, but in the context of it being a common event, of sorts. I was working my job, preparing and completing tasks, engaging with co-workers in the office, all the while being aware that a planetary collision was imminent. The planet upon which I stood was similar to Earth, even with modern North American buildings and civilization. It seemed far less populated than Earth. The planet was in a close orbit around a giant brown gas giant. Somehow, another smaller gas giant was also in a similar orbit around the same brown gas giant.

This set up a situation in which the terrestrial planet was on a path to collide with the smaller gas giant. This fact was well-known to everyone on the planet, so perhaps that's why the planet's population was sparse. Even those at work seemed sparse. We all knew about the collision. But, this fact didn't seem to faze those who remained. The evacuation was coming, but to me, it seemed like the egress should have happened already, not in the future.

At some point, I went on a drive (I don't recall the vehicle I used, but it moved very quickly and I don't remember the roads once outside the city). I saw the closeness of the smaller gas giant and realized I was already experiencing a subtle shift in gravity. There also seemed to be weather effects starting to happen. The brown gas giant filled the western sky with half the planet above the horizon. The smaller gas giant was fully visible in the northern and western sky, in front of the brown gas giant. The star was north and east.

Once I saw the weather and felt the gravitational effects, I decided it was time to leave. The dream ends with me back in the office and packing up. A co-worker came by. She asked if I was ready for the meeting that was about to start. I didn't respond. I just kept preparing to get off-world quickly.

Wild Raspberries

'Midst verdant New Hampshire groves,

Midsummer rambles begin,

Paths dappled with sunbeams in droves,

Thru valleys and over crest therein.

Beneath the boughs, a shaded trail,

Respite from day's warm gleam,

Where birds chirp, squirrels flit and hail,

A hushed wonderland, a dream.

A crimson glint amidst the thorns,

Bramble with hidden treasure,

Sweet raspberries, ruddy adorn,

Luring with their vibrant pleasure.

Fragrance wafts upon the breeze,

Drawing with an urging thrill,

As if by magic they appease,

Beckoning call to nature's will.

Berries gleam, a ruby hue,

So plump, ripe, and tempting,

Flavors tart, sweet, and true,

Nature's gift, pure and uplifting.

Nectar of the sun, they hold,

Jewels on the verdant earth,

A bounty to be savored bold,

A moment of unbridled mirth.

With each indulgent, blissful bite,

Their sweetness floods my senses true,

And in this fleeting moment's light,

I am one with nature anew.

A fleeting visitor, am I,

In this wild, enchanting space,

Yet memory of the berry's lure,

Lingers long, a smile on my face.

----

I worked with ChatGPT 3.5 to write this poem.  Though most of these words and phrases aren't directly mine, the key phrases are directly from me; with most of elements being prompted by me in one way or another.  The poem isn't a masterpiece, but it's not bad either.  The creative role I performed was actually in the interaction with the chatbot trying to work though its abilities and limitations to get a modestly good result.  

The first chatbot version of this poem was passable, but not good.  In several iterations, the chatbot "forgot" the topic of the poem and focused on some secondary detail.  I had to redirect the chatbot several times.  I was moderately impressed with how well the chatbot handled minor edits, though it made unrequested changes to unaffected portions of the poem almost every time, so I had to review each iteration to revert unintended edits.  Of course, the process took a couple of hours.  

I could've written something better than this in the same amount of time on my own.  I might try this experiment again with different prompt.

BTW, the image above is from Stable Diffusion.

Remote thought control

The following is a poem I asked Google Nest Bard to write.  Prompt was an 8 stanza poem about the virtues of remote thought control.  Though not the stature of Vogon poetry, it's not going to win any awards for quality.

Remote thought control, a virtue,

Can help you focus on the future.

It can help you stay calm and collected,

Even when you're feeling hectic.

Remote thought control, a power,

Can help you reach your goals.

It can help you make the right decisions,

Even when you're feeling indecisive.

Remote thought control, a gift,

Can help you live a better life.

It can help you be the best version of yourself,

Even when you're feeling stressed.

Remote thought control, a skill,

Can be learned and mastered.

It can be used for good or evil,

The choice is yours.