J.B. Sommerset

If you haven't noticed, A.I. is all the rage these days when it comes to content creation. Art, Writing, and Music are all being flooded with A.I. driven works. And very few of them are quality. They are usually ugly things that muddy the art pool or clever mimicries of existing masters. Some people are easy to fool however- you've all seen those posts on Facebook, you know the ones, where something is just off. Then you read the comments and sure enough, it's A.I. generated. Some of the music is quite funny, some of it is a little to close to the real thing.  I have written about this before, and I am still struggling with it. I have always wanted my work to be completely original, after all I cultivated the works and the skill for years and years. It doesn't seem right that Someone can screen-cap my work then stick it into an app, craft a prompt and poof! My works originality is out there for anyone who can barely type. That being said, many wise people have said that...

"A Friend In Need" Art Credit: J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024  Done with Sketchbook on Android I must admit that I can be somewhat of a curmudgeon when trying new things, especially tech. It's hard, at my age, to adjust to new things unless they are undeniably useful. I have my favorites when it comes to the tools of my crafts and I like to keep those on a short list. My favorite will always be pen and paper for my art and my writing, there's something about the tactile sensation of using it that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And the smell of aged paper? -Shutter- I need a minute. If I am honest though, working on a computer has so many more advantages than working with pen and paper. From being able to revise on the fly, select, cut and paste, etc. All the advantages a computer provides are real time savers, especially if you are looking at the craft from a "big picture" point of view (see what I did there?).  I have my favorite software of course. Free is...

Yep, that's right, this is an actual tech review, kind of. It's really a retro-tech review. I do very few tech reviews and they are far between. Sometimes they are about software, and sometimes they are about hardware. Most of the time they are about super cool pens. This one happens to be about one of the most controversial pieces of tech in the internet-o-sphere: The dreaded Chromebook... Before you come at me with your pitchforks and torches, let me state my case. And in this case, this review should have been done 4 years ago, minimum. This is old tech, at least in the digital world, this review is your grandfather, yelling at you to "get of his lawn". I mean the product was from more than 5 years ago.  I have talked about chromebooks before, the goods, the bads, and the weirds. Before you guys put the noose over my head and kick the stump, I will reiterate that Chromebooks aren't for everyone. Mostly students, although I would have hated to have one of these ...

When I first saw " Primal " listed on HBO MAX, I didn't realize that it was a  Genndy Tartakovsky  production. If I had, I most likely would have watched it sooner. It's just so damn good. Do yourself a favor, watch it now, here's why... Usually, cartoons don't interest me, so I just pass them by. With the exception: PIXAR . I pay attention to  Pixar  releases because I have a history with them. However, they seem to have gone a little stale over the past few years. What I mean by that is they have found a formula and are sticking to it- make the audience cry. Nonetheless, they still know their craft, but I feel that they have reached a peak. I doubt they will ever come up with another " Wall-E ", or even more poignant, another " Up ". Those risks have been taken, and those stories have been told. The other major animation studios are no different, sometimes they break free of what works and come up with something truly wonderful, but rarel...

One of my more recent posts was a picture I ran through an A.I. filter to modify its color and style. I liked the result so much that I decided to keep it and post it here on the site. I mentioned I would post more on how A.I. affects the world of creators and how I feel about transitioning into a world where A.I. will be everywhere. Today is that day, or one of them, because I am sure the future will bring so much more to the debate. Although we really haven't created real  A.I. yet, we are closer every day, and that brings me a little bit of concern. I find myself arguing about where the world is going. As far as A.I. is concerned, all of us seem to embrace it no matter how many warnings there are. No matter how many times we see The Terminator  or IRobot.   This is a difficult subject to tackle. On one side of the coin, there is a better life for all of us. A.I. means better health, self-driving cars, more security, etc- a world of more possibilities. On the other side...