cross-posted from: https://pawb.social/post/37780967

Manor Lords and Terra Invicta publishers Hooded Horse are imposing a strict ban on generative AI assets in their games, with company co-founder Tim Bender describing it as an “ethics issue” and “a very frustrating thing to have to worry about”.

“I fucking hate gen AI art and it has made my life more difficult in many ways… suddenly it infests shit in a way it shouldn’t,” Bender told Kotaku in a recent interview. “It is now written into our contracts if we’re publishing the game, ‘no fucking AI assets.'” I assume that's not a verbatim quote, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

The publishers also take a dim view of using generative AI for “placeholder” work, or indeed any ‘non-final’ aspect of game development. “We’ve gotten to the point where we also talk to developers and we recommend they don’t use any gen AI anywhere in the process because some of them might otherwise think, ‘Okay, well, maybe what I’ll do is for this place, I’ll put it as a placeholder,’ right?” Bender went on.

A US appeals court agreed on Tuesday to allow the Trump administration to strip Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood health centers in 22 states and Washington DC.

The order from the three-judge panel of the Boston-based first US circuit court of appeals puts on hold an injunction issued by US district judge Indira Talwani. Talwani’s injunction had blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a provision of its massive tax-and-spending bill that blocks Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid, the US government’s health insurance program for low-income people, in the 22 states.

The panel’s decision is only the latest legal volley in the months-long war over the Trump administration’s provision. The appeals court previously lifted another order by Talwani in a separate case, brought by Planned Parenthood, that had also blocked the measure’s enforcement.

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/56838363

I think this sets up a nice sequel with some interesting ideas about the living undead and the horrific work conditions of the poor and social stratification of the Victorian era.

takes a bong hit

Ooh, maybe we make Queen Victoria like the Alien Queen!

INT: Queen Victoria's Throneroom.

Tiny Tim faces down the QUEEN. In his good arm clutches a flamethrower blunder-bust packed with nails and shot. Hes limping from fighting his way through the palace. He's after the jewels. Destroying the hope diamond destroys the QUEEN.

The QUEEN is no done yet. It has TT's only living relation left... his oldest sister wrapped in a thick web beside her. TTs sister, the one that cared for him the most before the "Cure" has pressed on him by that Mad Rich Man and his father.

The QUEENs breath hisses

TT: Get away from her you BITCH!

Anybody got a fresh brita filter handy?