In this episode, Ian and Ash delve into the evolving landscape of social media, examining the implications of TikTok's potential ban in the U.S., the integration of AI in testing, and the shifting dynamics of platforms like Twitter (now X). They share personal anecdotes, discuss the significance of data privacy, and explore the future of social media engagement. The conversation also considers the challenges and opportunities presented by these digital shifts, offering insights into the broader tech community's response.

Links

• On the TikTok saga:
  • TechCrunch: TikTok ban: How Congress could force ByteDance to sell or push the app out of the US
  • Spiceworks: There's Nothing Confusing About TikTok's Security Risks
  • The Guardian: TikTok has been accused of ‘aggressive’ data harvesting. Is your information at risk?
  • NY Times: House Passes Bill to Force TikTok Sale From Chinese Owner or Ban the App
  • Cory Doctorow: TikTok's Ensh*ttification
• Vine, the story of its demise, and Ian's vines archived on the old site.
• Postman and PostBot
• 30 Days of AI in Testing from Ministry of Testing
• The Leeds Testing Atelier, at which Ash has performed the role of Testing Game Show Host.
• How To Archive Your Tweets With The Wayback Machine
• The original server operated by the Mastodon gGmbH non-profit (which runs on ActivityPub)
• Ivory for iOS client for Mastodon, from TapBots
• Threads from Meta.
• Bluesky which runs on the AT Protocol
• The late, lamented Apollo Reddit client
• The celebrated What A Lot Of Things LinkedIn Group

You can find our social media links (or link, in the case of Ash) on the website.

This episode of the podcast features Ian and Ash in a humour-filled comeback, diving into the fascinating world of generative AI and the impact of Baldur's Gate 3 on the gaming industry. They explore the nuances and controversies surrounding AI, from its potential to enhance creativity to the ethical concerns and the skepticism it faces. The discussion also highlights the importance of corporate culture in producing quality work, as exemplified by Larian Studios' success with Baldur's Gate 3. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, gaming, and creativity, offering insightful and engaging perspectives on contemporary digital phenomena.

Links

• A Wizard is never late
• Gartner Hype Cycle Research Methodology
• Anthropic, their product,Claude, and their Constitutional AI research.
• The Turing test
• Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF)
• Other AI platforms mentioned: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot
• AI image generation: Midjourney, DALL·E
• New York Times: Bing’s AI Chat: I Want To Be Alive
• IBM watsonx
• IA Writer
• Hemingway
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Stardew Valley
• Skull and Bones
• Larian Studios and Baldur’s Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Sendmail
• Loot boxes
• What A Lot Of Things – LinkedIn

Ian and Ash talk about those pesky testers forming communities and taking on toxic cultures, plus forming a dilapidated mind shack using personal knowledge management tools like Obsidian.

Links

Zettelkasten - Slip Box not SlipKnot
More Zettelkasten
Obsidian Home Page
Ian's Thoughts on Obsidian
Testers walkout after layoffs in the QA Team
Raven testers form a union
NFT grifters have terrible culture - not causation yet, but the correlation is hard to ignore.