(…as we were yesterday.)
I hadn’t really found a use for AI images until one of the neighbours messaged the local WhatsApp group and said that their bin had gone missing, and did anyone know where it might be.
And suddenly, I found a use for AI images.
I still haven’t actually found their bin, though.
Spotted on Facebook.
It’s really important to notice the little things in the background when you’re trying to work out if an image is AI-generated.
I know this was a quick post, but I hope it’s been helpful.
Quocust = Quota Locust.
Obviously.
I’ve been going through some images from earlier in the year: mainly just to check that they’d all been backed up successfully onto the family server and the external hard drive (they had). And I found myself tinkering in Lightroom with the odd one here or there. This was one of them, taken on our footy club’s weekend away in April. These guys (the insect here, not the footy club) are fairly common visitors to our back garden in Cape Town, although this one was a little further inland.
This is a Garden Locust (Acanthacris ruficornis). Fairly innocuous on his own, but you wouldn’t want too many of them around, nibbling your plants and eating your crops. There’s no scale here, but he’s probably about 7cm long.
I don’t really remember taking this photo, but I actually quite like the way that I’ve thrown caution to the wind as far as considering any sort of balance to the image.
It still works. (For me, at least.)
We’ve just finished binging The Gentlemen on Netflix, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Those of you know me, know that I don’t do this sort of thing often or lightly, so this must have been good.
First, find a really good writer and an all-star cast, and then this far-fetched – but thoroughly absorbing – tale can begin.
The idea of a collision between the worlds of organised crime and the British aristocracy, the exploration of each of those places from the previously oblivious other side of the fence, and the bleeding of one into the other is an interesting watch: sometimes jarring, often humorous, but always entertaining.
Fair disclosure at the start here: the storyline is sometimes a bit silly, and often rather “convenient”, but you need to overlook that (and it’s really easy to do), because the cinematography, the music, the humour and the characters are just incredible. Larger than life, just enough backstory, living large in their own weird and horrific world parallel to ours, where illegality and violence are the norm, with just enough honour amongst thieves to make them occasionally seem like decent people.
And this guy…
An utterly compelling performance of a terrifying individual living in a bipolar world of simultaneous complete peace and horrific violence, yet seemingly only existing in perpetual tranquility. Dangerously unhinged, but outwardly so very calm and completely in control. The constant contradictions are so delicious.
Here’s the trailer [WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE] The Gentlemen trailer – click through at your own risk. But it is so good. And so funny.
For the record, the nastiest violence is never on screen: always implied. The fight scenes etc aren’t pretty, but there’s nothing you couldn’t see the like of on your local sports channel most Saturdays.
6000 Recommends. Give it a go.
* or you needed more than 4½ hours sleep.
We went down to the DHL Stadium in Cape Town last night for the AFCON qualifier between South Africa and South Sudan. As I mentioned yesterday, this match didn’t matter too much, with SA already qualified, and SS already… not. And so it was a bit of a free hit, and an opportunity to celebrate both the qualification and the first Bafana Bafana game in Cape Town in 9 (nine) years.
And although the early kick off made it tough for a lot of people to get there on time, the stadium did fill up and there was a really joyous and jubilant atmosphere. A properly fun occasion.
Cape Town didn’t miss out on the chance to show off, as well.
It finished in a (more than) comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts in front of a passionate crowd; South Sudan almost being too bad to play well against. And – once the traffic had cleared – we made a quick trip to the Dark Horse for post-match drinks and bar snacks (OMG, the Prego Bruschetta!).
I’m not saying what time I got home (or in what sort of state), but you’ve seen the footnote beneath the title, and you know that I’ll be in bed by 8:30 tonight in an effort to make up for any lost time in Sleepsville, Western Cape last night.