The choice is ours. Not OpenAI’s. Sorry Sam, we can just say “no” quietly just as Neo did to the Agents. There’s strength in numbers especially when those numbers are representing solid, fundamental morals. Our centuries-built foundation is unbreakable while your house of cards billows in the wind. One day soon it will blow over…
Say Hello to Sam+Alt+Del℠
Welcoming some Generative Artificial Infancy comic relief in the form of “Sam+Alt+Del℠.” Now everyone’s favorite shortcut in the time of the GenAi$$ance provides some much needed satire on the subject.
Introducing MoralityAi MGT℠
MoralityAi MGT℠ / A Vinson Design Empowerment Initiative.
We’re wayfinding moral pathway frameworks while enlightening logical transparency and fairness providing wisdom within the context of copyright ownership often overshadowed by the GenAI dark side construct. While corporate bean counters and their newly christened prompt engineers blinded by the power of the mighty dollar they hail their greed-driven “Ren-Ai$$-ance” while the true artists celebrate their own “Rena-i-ssance” within.
We’re fueling our protective powerhouse at planetary scale while experiencing low chatter at high frequencies. We’re aiming for 100% ethical transactions and striving for 0% collateral damage on all sides and in every corner.
Reputation Dynamite
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has proven his blatant carelessness with the world’s intellectual property by funneling it into their machined artificial language model, ChatGPT, with no guard rails whatsoever. In response to his actions I’ve done my best to support everyone abused in this manner by exposing his deepest secrets in a variety of prose. Here are three of my recent attempts to change the narrative and further call out OpenAI and its true intentions to steal without consequence.
Dark Mode Now (Sonoma) and Then (Mavericks via my Flavours theme Post Pro)
Even back as far as System 9 we were obsessed with theming our Macs. BBX Mercury was one the hottest themes by legendary designer Max Rudberg. System 9 also had a decent built-in theme engine with custom highlights, desktop pictures, and even sounds. In 2013 I started playing around with Flavours by Interacto. My goal was to design a theme geared to post production professionals who preferred a darker GUI as many came from a Discreet Flint/Flame/Inferno world, like myself, and knew how helpful it was to work within a GUI that isn’t bright white like After Effects, Commotion Pro, and even the early commercial version of Nuke. For a brief period I was on the Nuke beta team to provide feedback. Most of my suggestions revolved around the GUI which was bright white with floating palettes. Take a look at any compositing setup these days. Everyone has gone dark, preferably charcoal. While on the After Effects beta team for quite some time I remember when we got them to add the first version of darkening the GUI with direct slide ability for the user to adjust for personal taste. That first incarnation’s darkest tones weren’t even half as dark as the AE GUI is today.
It’s been 10 years since I first released my free Flavours Post Pro theme. Post Pro was bundled along with hundreds of other user themes in their final release of Flavours 2.0. Unfortunately Flavours only went as far as Mac OS X Mavericks. Moving past Mavericks Apple tightened up the core system files causing theming to be impossible. So, we waited, and waited, and eventually in 2018 Apple released Mojave with a true Dark Mode. The latest version in Sonoma makes me smile as it’s quite similar to the Post Pro theme I designed back in 2014.
Eyes:/Only℠ Levels Up
Things are getting exciting at Vinson Design. In order to accommodate future level ups I have officially changed the name of the Vinson Design Publishing Company “Eyes:/Only℠” to “Eyes:/Only Entertainment, Limited℠.”
Eyes:/Only℠ is now a Vinson Design Entertainment Company with aspirations to illuminate our universal, collective spirits. So friends, let’s gather around the campfire for awhile, and then let’s go to the movies and share our stories. See you there on opening night!
Coming Summer 2024
Quick Brown Fox FX℠ is poised to leap “over the lazy dog” mid-2024.
David felt it was time to build a new creative offering from the ground up. Light and fresh with a hint of wit and dash of cunning the fox embodies David’s spirit full of zeal and adaptability. His career has spanned traditional graphic design, branding and identity systems, and the expansive, ever-evolving worlds of branded motion media.
Officially launched in July, 2024.
“Love Letter” — An OpenAI parody inspired by “Church Chat” on Saturday Night Live
In response to all of the unnecessary AI bullying going on from the AI “artists” I decided to take an alternate, or “alt-man” PSA-style approach using parody to comment on this serious cancer growing among us. What concerns me most, however, is the overarching preaching going on from the creators of these tools. Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, disturbs me the most as his revealing commentary exposes his distorted, heavily black and white thinking.
Below is a recent treatment pitch I wrote for “Church Chat” on Saturday Night Live involving ChatGPT and its OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Maybe one day soon they’ll decide to use it or possibly spark an idea of their own parallel to the subject matter presented here. It would be a dream if they brought back Dana Carvey for the skit delivering his campy Church Lady and her obsession with “Satan!” Enjoy the YouTube Cold Open below my treatment from this beloved classic skit on SNL.
When first writing this skit concept I had no idea that the Ides of March was being observed two days later, Friday, March 15th. Some things just can’t be scripted. It was a clear sign of karma’s signature. So thank you, universe, for putting a proverbial cherry on top of this brief comedic treatment.
I wonder if Sam Altman is superstitious?
“Beware the Ides of March,” said the Soothsayer from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. “Beware the Ides of March,” the Soothsayer said a second time. Caesar thought the Soothsayer was “a dreamer” and did not take these warnings seriously. Caesar’s death later comes to fruition on the steps of the Senate. The conspirators attack him from all sides with Brutus delivering the final wound.
“I believe the phrase was...Lucifer in the flesh. Well isn’t that special.”
— Dana Carvey as The Church Lady on the Saturday Night Live parody “Church Chat.”