Cáit Murphy

First bit of research post-PhD. Working on something cool for Routledge.

Classrooms of children in Iran. Hundreds of people in Lebanon. The ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The message from our political and media class is clear: their lives are less valuable than others.

Every human being matters, and every human being deserves a life of peace.

I don't speak as a Trekkie, or even as someone who would watch "Star Trek" at home. But I've had it on when I was unpacking or washing my hair in a hotel room and there was nothing else on the box that wasn't a car chase or a preacher. (1982)

I have officially completed my PhD and submitted the final hardbound thesis to Trinity Library. It has been a privilege to study here for 8 consecutive years. My thesis is the first major scholarship on the subject of Alexandre Astruc’s theory in the digital age.

Some examples of the 80+ screenshots in the whole thesis.

The experiences of undergoing the viva in December and then making minor corrections to the manuscript were reassuring and very positive, thanks to my examiners. I want to thank my supervisor, Dr. Jennifer O’Meara of the Film Department, for her invaluable support over these 4 years.

I have officially completed my PhD and submitted the final hardbound thesis to Trinity Library. It has been a privilege to study here for 8 consecutive years. My thesis is the first major scholarship on the subject of Alexandre Astruc’s theory in the digital age.

I'm happy to announce you can now read my article 'Wes (AI)nderson: Fan Participation and the Auteur in the Age of Algorithmic Reproduction'. makingsjournal.com/tiktok-wes-a...

1908: the Lancet, one of the most respected scientific journals, calls for 18 age limit on reading in bed amidst a moral panic surrounding children becoming "addicted" to novels, which were "designed to keep kids hooked" and destroy their attention/mental health

Iran, Pakistan, Kabul? Grok Maps 3 Different 'Facts' For The Same Viral Video | BOOM Grok hallucinated three conflicting 'facts' about viral video of an Iranian school attack, failing to find its location.

People are now using Grok to «verify» videos of attacks, and as expected, each time Grok delivers different, mutually exclusive but plausibly sounding versions of the «facts.»
And yes, this is essentially the same AI model now being used by the US military in classified operations
#WildForensis

Abstract:

The special issue covers Noël Carroll's concept of the 'creative audience' (2014). My article would be of special interest to fan scholars @fanstudies.bsky.social and those who study 'new cinephilia' in the digital age (as well as Anderson and auteur scholars). I also cover AI.

I'm happy to announce you can now read my article 'Wes (AI)nderson: Fan Participation and the Auteur in the Age of Algorithmic Reproduction'. makingsjournal.com/tiktok-wes-a...

Many in academia feel so gaslit by the higher ed institutions that claim to be progressive and inclusive while peddling the gimmicky toys of racist tech bros. No, I don’t think AI can help me grade essays or design modules. Leave me alone.

“The purpose behind the release of herbicide on the villages remains unclear.”

Israel has been dumping herbicides throughout southern Lebanon as part of a concerted ecocide campaign to render the region uninhabitable. This has been going on for months with Lebanese journalists & environmentalists regularly reporting on it.

The BBC: we don’t know why the Israelis are doing it

Computer-vision research powers surveillance technology - Nature An analysis of research papers and citing patents indicates the extensive ties between computer-vision research and surveillance.

New paper hot off the press www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We analysed over 40,000 computer vision papers from CVPR (the longest standing CV conf) & associated patents tracing pathways from research to application. We found that 90% of papers & 86% of downstream patents power surveillance

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Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study Research suggests more than 75,000 killed in the first 16 months of conflict, 25,000 more than announced at the time

Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study.

There are no excuses.

It was obvious at the time that Israel was engaged in the mass slaughter of civilians.

The guilty men and women will pay the price.

Wiseman’s stance on meat production is not didactic, but it reads that the assembly line — whether for electronics or livestock — has utterly altered the phenomenology of human consumption. When life is calculated in cents for both humans and non-human animals, the line between them is thin.

Today I am thinking about Wiseman and among his many films — Meat (1979) — which I have only been able to watch once. Its genealogy starts with Franju and recently Andrea Arnold’s Cow (2022).

Watching one of my favourite docs (with the best soundtrack).

Hollywood Is Losing Audiences to AI Fatigue Entertainment about or made with artificial intelligence has been missing the mark with viewers over the past year.

Published my first piece at @wired.com today, about a string of AI thrillers that have bombed (most recent being the hopelessly naive Chris Pratt vehicle 'Mercy'), the backlash to Darren Aronofsky's YouTube slop take on the American Revolution, and a grotesque nostalgia-bait Super Bowl ad:

Thank you, Lidl!

Some things are eternal, like showing your pet moving pictures.

The Disastrous Rollout of the Trump-Approved TikTok Serves as a Stark Warning for Us All Big Tech platforms wield far too much power over our information landscape to continue operating without transparency.

These laws mandate unprecedented levels of mass surveillance and data harvesting, rewarding Big Tech with even more power and money, and giving the government sweeping authority to decide what content is “harmful” and should be removed. zeteo.com/p/trump-tikt...

Israeli strikes kills scores of Palestinians in Gaza Saturday's Israeli attacks on Gaza marks the highest death toll since a ceasefire was introduced

Israeli strikes kills scores of Palestinians in Gaza - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-strikes-kill-scores-palestinians-gaza

Rome, Italian Style from SCTV YouTube video by Nina G

youtu.be/qh9ScBnVvYw?...

Jauja was already mentioned so: