Adrift in a Virtual World

[The Old Ruminator]

77 this month and increasingly aware that I somehow don't fit in society as we know it now. Caving at least is the great leveller and after 60 plus years still somewhere that I feel "at home". After yesterdays effort I feel totally knackered with a bad case of tossers elbow ( the rocks ). Uncle Brian has me worried saying that I am neuro divergant with cognitve dissonance. Perhaps most cavers are born this way. Coming home in the dark on my own is a worry now. Cars parked up in laybys on the hills. Uncle Brian says that they are doggers but why walk a dog in the dark ? Somebody else asked if I saw any seagulls. I dont know but Uncle Brian might as he was in the merchant navy. I have just tried to get sense from the Sky chat box thing. Useless . Just as well ask the cat ( Mr Whiskers ). Looked at the HE lecture list. Nothing that I would cross the road for. All foreign stuff that packs the journals now. I thought that Mr O'Doc would have something on the Quantock Master Cave . No just some silly game off the radio. Oh and the photos. Is anything out there actually real any more ? At least my splodges are caves as you see 'em. Sometimes I dont know why I bother with photos. Maybe thats an illusion as well that anyone is really interested.
I guess that I really worry when my tenuous hold on reality is broken and I cant go caving any more. What then ? Ahh well a day or two off just yet hopefully. I suppose that I can continue photo splodging on here as again posts re digging seem to be falling away. Seems the other Friday Nighter wants to go again. I hope that I dont run over any dogs in the dark.

 

[Space Doubt Caver]

77 this month and increasingly aware that I somehow don't fit in society as we know it now.
Looked at the HE lecture list. Nothing that I would cross the road for. All foreign stuff that packs the journals now. I thought that Mr O'Doc would have something on the Quantock Master Cave . No just some silly game off the radio. Oh and the photos. Is anything out there actually real any more?

At least my splodges are caves as you see 'em. Sometimes I dont know why I bother with photos. Maybe thats an illusion as well that anyone is really interested.
I guess that I really worry when my tenuous hold on reality is broken and I cant go caving any more.

What then ? Ahh well a day or two off just yet hopefully. I suppose that I can continue photo splodging on here as again posts re digging seem to be falling away. .

I think most of us cavers are misunderstood outcasts of society, in one way or another.

I looked at the HE lecture list, there are some interesting talks but as you mention most of them abroad, i don't do caving abroad anymore after past experiences,

If I go outside of the UK, i'll be at risk at best,

You should keep posting your pics, because i enjoy looking at them and watching your dig progress, and others caving trips most people who look at modern photos know they have some degree of post processing, but you can always see a real raw picture (There is a difference) when i look at pictures i think is that real, or social media edited.

It's like astrophotography, you know the nebulae do not look like the way they do in pictures with all the colours of the gasses as they have used multiple light filters to get that result and then they layer the pictures in post processing.

I still think real raw pictures are better because they show a more accurate unedited state.

Keep on keeping on

 

[pwhole]

I suppose that I can continue photo splodging on here as again posts re digging seem to be falling away.

Don't worry, I'll have more digging news for you soon, though it'll be in the other filthy area, the Peak District. Can't do much about the existentialism and ennui you seem to be enduring, but regarding virtual worlds, special fungi will be popping out any time now - maybe grab a handful and see what happens? Blow the cobwebs away. Mr O'Doc can give professional supervision/guidance if required, I'm sure. He may just say I'm sorry, I haven't a clue

 

[bagpuss]

I really enjoy your photos, in fact looking at the photo thread has pushed me back into caving after a hiatus due to health issues. Having a health issue that stopped me doing pretty much everything I enjoyed for a while was pretty levelling as it did make me think of what the future would be like if I really couldn't get out. I suppose all we can do is try and live in the moment and get as much pleasure out of what we can enjoy for now.

 

[bagpuss]

Don't worry, I'll have more digging news for you soon, though it'll be in the other filthy area, the Peak District. Can't do much about the existentialism and ennui you seem to be enduring, but regarding virtual worlds, special fungi will be popping out any time now - maybe grab a handful and see what happens? Blow the cobwebs away. Mr O'Doc can give professional supervision/guidance if required, I'm sure. He may just say I'm sorry, I haven't a clue

Just don't combine the fungi with the caving!

 

[Badlad]

I spotted quite a few UK based talks on the Hidden Earth lecture list. Northern round up, maze caves in the northern Dales, some new big discovery in the Forest of Dean, Peak district update, Descent at 300, northern hydrology, South Wales round up, must be something there if you don't like foreign muck

I find the best part of Hidden Earth is not the lectures but wandering around chatting to people. Chin up OR.

 

[2xw]

The Peak explorers forum, excellently organised by the Eldon, was a good hit of UK stuff and the format of 20 mins talks was quite good. Wonder if there's space in future hidden earth's for some quick fire mini talks - don't think we could fill 45 mins with P8 or Draenen but some photos and an update would be cool. Maybe an extended roundup?


Or maybe just save those for the explorers forums of course, it doesn't look like HE was short of lectures! I'm looking forward to it, but mostly as Tim says to chat to people.

 

[PeteHall]

Looked at the HE lecture list. Nothing that I would cross the road for. All foreign stuff that packs the journals now.

I was disappointed to see no Mendip roundup on the list, though I am looking forward to various talks from the FoD; not too far from your own stomping ground @The Old Ruminator

 

[Tritim230]

I promise all the FoD talks, particularly the one on Redhouse will be well worth attending. Not giving too much away but I was thinking of giving the Redhouse presentation the title of Forest meets Mulu - to quote Chris Scaife's observations when receiving our contribution to Descent 300.

 

[Goydenman]

I enjoy your photos.... keep bothering
I love the regional round-up at HE just wish they were bigger slots and not such a mad rush.
I agree catching up with people at HE is one of best bits

 

[royfellows]

Mr O.R., the way that society is going the time to worry is if you do fit into it. You are an individual, so stay with your likes and dislikes, opiniions and lifestyle. I was loooking at a car for sale where the photos were all of the 'arty' type, and could not discern any detail of car at all. Hope he sells it, best of luck to the idiot.

 

[Graigwen]

Just don't combine the fungi with the caving!

I know one poster on these forums who does that, it does not seem to do him any harm. A couple of years ago my daughter completed an MSc in neuroscience, the research material she saw suggested that the drugs in magic mushrooms were the least harmful recreational drugs, and for many people positively beneficial.
.

 

[pwhole]

My first trip down Eldon Hole was done under those conditions

 

[bagpuss]

I know one poster on these forums who does that, it does not seem to do him any harm. A couple of years ago my daughter completed an MSc in neuroscience, the research material she saw suggested that the drugs in magic mushrooms were the least harmful recreational drugs, and for many people positively beneficial.
.

True, although it's not something I would try as a first time experience, a bad trip underground might not be much fun!

 

[ttxela2]

Mr O.R., the way that society is going the time to worry is if you do fit into it. You are an individual, so stay with your likes and dislikes, opiniions and lifestyle. I was loooking at a car for sale where the photos were all of the 'arty' type, and could not discern any detail of car at all. Hope he sells it, best of luck to the idiot.

I've recently been looking at secondhand vehicles on eBay. A lot of the sellers now are adding description clearly written by AI. Most of them read like the original manufacturers blurb used when the vehicle was new - which make sense as I guess that will be the most trusted info AI finds on a particular model. It tells you nothing that you want to know when buying secondhand though.

 

[pwhole]

An interesting sideline on the 'reality' of photos is that I was recently sent a set of archive photos from 1943, including a very young and skinny Trevor Ford. I only met Trevor as an old man, and obviously he was larger and more disabled than in the photos. However, the latest iterations of Photoshop now include Generative AI, and it's used in a beta release Photo Restoration plugin. This allows 'Face Enhancement' on a slider, to control the amount. I tried it on a photo with Trevor's face clearly showing, but a bit soft focus and blurry - the output was remarkably sharp and detailed. However, I haven't a clue if it's accurate! It looks like a young Trevor, but not quite the same as I expected from what my brain was telling me. So I may send one to his daughter as she's probably the best judge - and have real photos to compare it with. But as to whether it could be published is a weird issue, as the likeness could well be inaccurate, but I wouldn't know any more than the viewers! An interesting philosophical conundrum.

 

[Pegasus]

OR, friends old and new will be at Hidden Earth - come see me on the UKC stand, there's a mug with your name on it 🫖
We may be an internet forum, however we also exist in the real world 😁

 

[royfellows]

I wrote this some time ago, there are a lot of extra verses that could be added, have a go if you want.
The second lines of the last two verses are the most relevant and indeed disturbing, and its not just me who thinks that.

It does it automatically, what a load of ****

It does it automatically; he’s what we think of it

It tries to second guess you, and always gets it wrong

We’re fed up to our back teeth, that’s why we sing this song



Bought myself a nice new car, as happy as a clown

Till I got up in the morning, found all the windows down



Night time in my garden, so took myself a torch

It started flashing ‘colonel bogey’ so slung it on the porch.



Speed cameras everywhere, growing by the score

Hundred quid fine through the post, and only doing thirty four



All decisions made for us, transistors in a link

But to mankind the greatest loss, the ability to think



The people who dream up this stuff, from ourselves they want to save

So technology becomes our master, and us its humble slave

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Nice one. I bet ChatGPT could have done it better ! Anyway dont take me too seriously I have a very offbeat sense of humour.

 

[royfellows]

Kindred spirit