'Nam Killed Kurt Over Time v.4

 

Photo: Life Magazine. Kurt's unit patrolled these hills. (Mutter's Ridge and the Rock Pile.) 

Some veterans die in battle while others return home to perish on the installment plan. My friend Kurt passed away in 2003 from liver cancer. He went quick, maybe a hundred days. The cancer was partially brought about by PTSD-inspired drinking coupled with hepatitis from a bad blood transfusion he underwent in Vietnam. Kurt could have skated on that particular war, but extended his enlistment in order to fight. Serving in Marine Recon, he won a Navy Commendation medal for helping his unit battle clear of an ambush.

Several Purple Hearts later, Kurt joined an ultra-secret outfit that probed the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. Hacked out of the jungle, the Trail was a highway for the North Vietnamese to funnel men and supplies into South Vietnam and Cambodia. Because of our odd political posturing, Laos was officially off-limits to U.S. ground forces. That meant Kurt and his unofficial comrades were forced to ditch the bodies of their dead. The fallen would be listed as "Missing in Action in South Vietnam." It always bothered Kurt that families would be denied the closure of burial—or the recognition of bravery from a schizophrenic government.

A good portion of Kurt's post-war years were spent in alcohol and drug-fueled rage and self-destruction. In time, he made peace with his past. Little by-little, Kurt cut a trail over to serenity from which he rarely strayed. Despite a Master's Degree in electronics, he took a job driving a truck and fixing vending machines. (Kurt worked well unsupervised.) Getting married, buying a home, his last ten years were good ones.

I was a pallbearer at Kurt's funeral. He received a Marine Corps color guard, taps, and a view of the 2 Freeway stretching below in the distance, flowing past Forest Lawn Cemetery on its way to Eagle Rock. (Transportation played a big role in his life.) I recall Kurt when I drive past and often wish he could call down artillery on erratic drivers.

This Veteran's Day Kurt came to mind. And while he's at peace, I send prayers and best wishes to those still struggling with the silent baggage of war.

Happy Veteran's Day to all who served. You are remembered.

(This is a 2014 repost from Veteran's Day 2010 reposted once more in 2021, and now reposted in 2023.)

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps

 

Here's a short article commemorating the Marine Corps on their 235th birthday. Best wishes to all Leathernecks past and present. (Photo: Acclaim Images)    

Note: A decade has passed since the above post, hence 245th birthday would be more appropriate. 

Note: Three years have passed since the above note, hence 228th birthday will do nicely.

Ten Free Text-to-Image Websites

 

LimeWire

With all my ai experimentation, I thought I'd ask my bud, ChatGPT, to list a starter set of ten free text-to-image sites. If you're paranoid like me, each site states whether or not it requires a Google sign-in. Alas, this is list is only current up to Jan. 2022 and there's more ai sites arriving each week. (That's why it's not a Top Ten.) But if you're a novice, just screwing around, it'll be fine. I'll list two current sites below that even a lame prompter like me can easily access.

 

 

1. **OpenAI DALL-E**: - **Benefits**: DALL-E is a groundbreaking AI model capable of generating images from textual descriptions. It does not require a Google account to use. 

 2. **Runway ML**: - **Benefits**: Runway ML offers a user-friendly interface for artists and designers to create images from text. You can use it without a Google account. 

 3. **Deep Dream Generator**: - **Benefits**: Deep Dream Generator allows users to transform their text descriptions into visually stunning and surreal images. It typically doesn't require a Google account. 

 4. **Artbreeder**: - **Benefits**: Artbreeder enables users to manipulate and generate images based on text inputs. While you can access some features without an account, certain features may require a Google account for full access.

 

 5. **AI Painter**: - **Benefits**: AI Painter provides a simple way to turn text into art by generating paintings based on textual descriptions. It typically doesn't require a Google account. 

 6. **Runway ML StyleGAN**: - **Benefits**: Runway ML's StyleGAN integration allows users to create images from text and apply specific artistic styles. It does not require a Google account. 

 7. **DeepAI Text to Image API**: - **Benefits**: DeepAI's API enables developers to integrate text-to-image functionality into their applications. You may not need a Google account to use this API, but it's advisable to check their current policies. 

 8. **PaintsChainer**: - **Benefits**: PaintsChainer uses AI to transform text descriptions into colored sketches. It typically doesn't require a Google account. 

 9. **Runway ML BigGAN**: - **Benefits**: Runway ML's BigGAN model can generate high-resolution images from text inputs. It does not require a Google account. 

 10. **DeepArt.io**: - **Benefits**: DeepArt.io leverages AI to create art based on textual descriptions. It typically doesn't require a Google account. 

 Please note that the account requirements may change over time, so it's a good practice to check the specific websites' current policies and registration procedures before using them.

**BlueWillow - Click on Blue Willow and you'll be taken to Discord and then to LimeWire. But after that, it's a breeze to use. I designed the artwork above in no time.

**Ideogram - Open and create. This is the simplest text-to-image ai site I've yet to discover. 

Do NOT Befriend the Giraffe

More ai text-to-image fun. This time I designed art for a YouTube thumbnail. The thumbnail will herald an old video I found of a wild animal park up in Sonoma, California. Reasons exist not to grow too chummy with our long-necked friends. More shall be explained after I launch the vid.
 

Booze Ape On-the-House

Booze Ape 2023

Drunk as a Monkey

Having fun once again with AI text-to-image and decided to see how the dreamlike.art algorithms would handle my request for a chimp in a seedy tavern. Not exactly Charles Bukowski, but I think the Dirty Old Man would approve.

 

Rob Bonata Message Fail

 We rite good in Kaliforna.

Given the sad state of California education, it's possible that Attorney General Rob Bonata's staff hired locally for someone to design the Attorney General's newsletter.

 

Jest Videos

How Woke Works

 Language is violence if you've never experienced violence.

So many ordinary people are puzzled over wokeness.

 Here's a short that breaks it down to its basic parts.

Jest Videos

Top 5 Halloween Night Movies

 

A Quintet of Spooky Films

At least according to me, with 1 and 2 on the list pretty creepy. Peruse at your leisure. Do you agree? Disagree? Abstain from comment? Whatever the case, Happy Halloween!

John P. McCann Channel

Halloween Super Yard Rocks!

 Look on My Yard, Ye Mighty, and Despair!!

People like me put up a pumpkin and figure I've gotten into the spirit of things. (So to speak.) But walking back to my car from the doctor's office the other day, I encountered true afficiandos. Check it out. (And ignore the little touches I added.) This is full-fledged Halloween commitment.

John P. McCann Channel

George Orwell Poem on Puppies and Teddy Bears

 

More fun with AI as George Orwell pens some verse on the topic of fun fluffy things.

Ciinnamon-Stars Deviant Art

Long Live Stuffed Brother!

In the land of innocence and plush delight,

Where fluffy tyrants rule with all their might,

Puppies and teddy bears, a surreal sight,

In a world of propaganda, we'll now recite.

 

The puppies, round and soft, so sweet and pure,

But in their eyes, a watchful, secret lure.

Their fluffy paws, a grip so firm and sure,

They play the part, but motives are obscure.

 

Teddy bears, with button eyes, so sly,

In the arms of children, they comply.

A symbol of comfort, as we imply,

But who's the master in this wicked lie?

 

In this utopia of cuddles and play,

The puppies and bears have a role to convey.

They're tools of control, in a subtle way,

As innocence withers, and freedoms decay.

 

They listen in silence, these loyal spies,

Gathering secrets, with their woolly guise.

Whispered confessions, each baby's cries,

In the name of safety, liberty dies.

 

Big Brother watches, through the guise of fluff,

Tracking our lives, and it's more than enough.

As we hug our teddies, and play with our pups,

The surveillance state only tightens its cuffs.

 

So remember, my friends, in this tale so grim,

The cute and the cuddly, it's all a scheme.

In the spirit of Orwell, let's not be dim,

For the truth lies hidden, in this puppy dream.

—ChatGPT

The Dark Knight's Gloomy Day

 

Even our heroes experience time in the dumps.

John P. McCann Channel