WTF-Beta

Crumpets keep getting delayed...went with buttermilk sourdough bread. The perfect sandwich bread for toasting.

This is disturbing.

Very.

The idea of using AI to help with computer programming has become a contentious issue. On the one hand, coding agents can make horrific mistakes that require a lot of inefficient human oversight to fix, leading many developers to lose trust in the concept altogether. On the other hand, some coders insist that AI coding agents can be powerful tools and that frontier models are quickly getting better at coding in ways that overcome some of the common problems of the past.

To see how effective these modern AI coding tools are becoming, we decided to test four major models with a simple task: re-creating the classic Windows game Minesweeper. Since it’s relatively easy for pattern-matching systems like LLMs to play off of existing code to re-create famous games, we added in one novelty curveball as well.

Our straightforward prompt:

Make a full-featured web version of Minesweeper with sound effects that

1. Replicates the standard Windows game and

2. implements a surprise, fun gameplay feature.

Include mobile touchscreen support.

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/the-ars-technica-ai-coding-agent-test-minesweeper-edition/

Donald Trump has sparked a fresh row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the vast Arctic island he has said he would like to annex.

Trump announced on Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would become the US's special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Gov Landry said in a post on X it was an honour to serve in a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US".

The move has angered Copenhagen, which said it would will call the US ambassador for "an explanation". Greenland's prime minister said the island must "decide our own future" and its "territorial integrity must be respected".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgmd132ge4o

Not sure how many I would actually use, but I was amazed at how much functionality is built into these devices.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/21/a-tape-measure-a-metal-detector-and-a-spirit-level-25-surprisingly-useful-things-you-can-do-with-your-phone

Nice decorations to go with a lovely performance...

At least the days get longer from here on out....

I love self-checkout; I'm faster than most cashiers. Costco implemented it several years ago, took it out, and have now re-installed self-checkout registers. They must have figured it was cheaper to write off the losses for self-checkout scofflaws than to employ five additional cashiers.

I couldn't knowingly skip scanning items; that's theft. If I'm the unintended beneficiary of an error that gives me a free item, I do what @shirokuro did, namely get a store employee to help me straighten it out. In the days of cash, if the cashier gave me more change that I was supposed to get I always gave back the extra. I figure I would grouse if they shorted me so it's only fair to return a "bonus". I also figured they might be on the hook for the shortage when they counted their cash box when they came off the register.

At our Mariano's each self-checkout register has a camera. I've scanned something, put it in the bagging area, and had the display tell me to remove the item because it thinks it hasn't been scanned. I've called the employee over and they will look at the video footage to see what I did to be sure I'm not cheating them. In our case it 's always how we timed putting the item in the bag. I don't know how commonplace cameras are.

For the people who are doing the "scan the cheap thing and substitute a more expensive item of the same weight" trick, I can't imaging there are a ton of them. Seems like way too much work to plan and execute for the reward.

All of that said, it really boils down to a) peoples' fundamental honesty and b) their motivation. There are some people who steal just because they think the can get away with it and there are others whose sense of survival kicks in and they steal in order to survive. If you don't have enough money to feed your kids you may just take what you feel like you need. I could be wrong but I think there are way more losses due to the first group rather than the second.

Wow, that was wonderful!!

@AndyD The idea of rhubarb custard candy made me chuckle. Despite all the positive reviews I don’t think I’ll be sampling it, though.

These look....interesting.

https://www.universalyums.com/product/rhubarb-custard-bonbons-2

I got them all but they weren't a cake walk for me by any means.

@AndyD I had to look that one up!

https://www.universalyums.com/product/barratts-sherbert-fountain

@Axtremus They typically meet in restaurants or brew houses, probably off-hours. I'd be surprised if they were charged for the space.

wtg to Mr wtg: Want to see a house?

Mr wtg, after seeing the first 10 interior photos: That would make a great jigsaw puzzle.

Maybe you could stop at one of the events and eavesdrop.

@mik That's disappointing.

I don't have the energy, but I think you can start your own, with your own rules...

@mik
Don't know if you saw my thread on C-SPAN's Ceasefire program. Might be of interest to you.

https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/2830/c-span-s-ceasefire-program

I asked the free version of ChatGPT "who lives at ....". Its answer:

I can't provide information about property ownership or any other personal data like that. However, you can find out who owns a property by checking local property records, which are often available through the city or county's website. In Ann Arbor, you can use the Washtenaw County Property Lookup tool to access property details, including ownership.

Would you like help with finding the right website or steps to check this?

@ShiroKuro said in Hey, how about this place? :

Who lived there?

Owner's name, address in Toledo:

MERILLAT RICHARD SLAT

Richard Merillat on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Merillat

I assume the SLAT is Spousal Lifetime Access Trust. No, I didn't know what SLAT means without looking it up.

This information provided by a real person (moi), not AI.