I tried to post on this last night, but somehow managed to erase the whole post instead of publishing it.

Here’s my mini-rant on facial "recognition" technology, which I meant to include in the previous post.  Yesterday’s Silly Internet Quiz that purported to tell you which celebrity you most resemble was based on facial recognition technology.

If you’ve ever heard of it before, it was probably in the context of the Super Bowl a few years back, in Tampa, where law enforcement attempted to use it to catch criminals who came to the big game.

It worked about as well there as it did in saying that I look like Manuel Noriega.

It’s also been implemented in public areas of other communities, like Virginia Beach, VA. In addition to finding criminals, they claim it could be used to locate missing & exploited children.

Of course, when asked about that, Virginia Beach police admit that they haven’t actually located any missing children with their facial recognition software. But you can get away with all kinds of civil liberties invasions if you can justify them with a tie-in to protecting children. It doesn’t matter whether or not the thing works! It might theoretically protect a child from harm! Or catch a criminal! Or better yet, a terrorist!

OK, ok, /rant.

I’m still pregnant. I’m showing no new signs, in spite of my best efforts. Smudge seems to be very happy where he is. The fridge is working again, and over the week, we’ll be filling it. So far, there’s milk, yogurt, hazelnut creamer, margarine, and frozen veggies & pierogies in the freezer.

My co-workers had a very nice surprise shower for me yesterday. Entertainingly, only women attended, even though I work in an industry and a company that is overwhelmingly male. There was yummy cake, and toys and a second car seat for Smudge. It was very sweet. (The party. The cake involved fresh berries and was less sweet and more light than ‘cake’ implies.)

Oh, and I made a bet with one co-worker about my theory that Smudge is coming on Sunday. She doesn’t trust my intuition.

Fruit & Veg Count, 1/30: 2.5 organic gala apples, ~1/4 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and currents), ~3/4 cup mixed veggies (mostly brussels sprouts, some cauliflower & carrots)

I tried to post on this last night, but somehow managed to erase the whole post instead of publishing it.

Here’s my mini-rant on facial "recognition" technology, which I meant to include in the previous post.  Yesterday’s Silly Internet Quiz that purported to tell you which celebrity you most resemble was based on facial recognition technology.

If you’ve ever heard of it before, it was probably in the context of the Super Bowl a few years back, in Tampa, where law enforcement attempted to use it to catch criminals who came to the big game.

It worked about as well there as it did in saying that I look like Manuel Noriega.

It’s also been implemented in public areas of other communities, like Virginia Beach, VA. In addition to finding criminals, they claim it could be used to locate missing & exploited children.

Of course, when asked about that, Virginia Beach police admit that they haven’t actually located any missing children with their facial recognition software. But you can get away with all kinds of civil liberties invasions if you can justify them with a tie-in to protecting children. It doesn’t matter whether or not the thing works! It might theoretically protect a child from harm! Or catch a criminal! Or better yet, a terrorist!

OK, ok, /rant.

I’m still pregnant. I’m showing no new signs, in spite of my best efforts. Smudge seems to be very happy where he is. The fridge is working again, and over the week, we’ll be filling it. So far, there’s milk, yogurt, hazelnut creamer, margarine, and frozen veggies & pierogies in the freezer.

My co-workers had a very nice surprise shower for me yesterday. Entertainingly, only women attended, even though I work in an industry and a company that is overwhelmingly male. There was yummy cake, and toys and a second car seat for Smudge. It was very sweet. (The party. The cake involved fresh berries and was less sweet and more light than ‘cake’ implies.)

Oh, and I made a bet with one co-worker about my theory that Smudge is coming on Sunday. She doesn’t trust my intuition.

Fruit & Veg Count, 1/30: 2.5 organic gala apples, ~1/4 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and currents), ~3/4 cup mixed veggies (mostly brussels sprouts, some cauliflower & carrots)