MAD GRAD DAD

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Prototypes: Iteration 5.X (duds? getting weird!)

Posted on March 22, 2023     Leave a Comment

Setup for N(Ai)ggy Iteration 5.whatever:

• Just wow… where have we gone? I think I’m in a bit deep. Not even going to post the specific prompts/details. In part, because the pics above are from two different generations, but not even all of those that I have done since Iteration 5. I have gotten Stan Lee as a pirate, Rembrandt as a pirate, Picasso as a pirate… but I finally figure out why.

For the artist style cues, it makes a big difference if you include ‘by’ for the artist, rather than just the artist’s name, so ‘by Rembrandt’, ‘by Picasso’, ‘by Stan Lee’. Also, I think I am having too many style studio cues… clearly, the minion influence is strong (min-fluence?).

Don’t get me wrong, this is incredibly entertaining! But it’s not the direction I want to go as I continue to search for #NAiGGY in this oceanic virtual frontier of madness… at this point I am not even trying for the eyepatch.

On that note, I am learning about ‘inpainting’ techniques. I have an iPad that I have used for Procreate a lot, and I have begun using it to augment some pics, to attempt to add specific features to the bird. My next post will show some of how ‘inpaining’ works, and what is/isn’t working. See you then!

Here a cute standout! And he even has a belt!

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Prototypes: Iteration 5 (dud)

Posted on March 20, 2023     Leave a Comment

Setup for N(Ai)ggy Iteration 5:

• Txt2Img Prompt – cute green bird with a thick blunt curved beak and a golden breast, golden stripes on wings, wearing a black pirate bandana wrapped around its head that covers one eye, one eye covered by a black bandana, using spyglass and holding a rolled up map, pixar, Rembrandt, Richard Kane Ferguson, warhammer 40k, comic book, 2D, standing on the deck of a pirate ship

• Tuning Details – Steps: 30, Sampler: DPM++ 2S a Karras, CFG scale: 17, Seed: 4173043286, Face restoration: CodeFormer, Size: 512×512, Model hash: 6ce0161689, Model: v1-5-pruned-emaonly

Well, I consider this iteration a dud. I did get a bandana on one of them, but I cut it short, because they were all tending to look the same. I had raised the CFG scale again from 14-17, and I am assuming that is a large reason why it got into a rut. It seemed to pick up on the addition of ‘thick’ on the beak very well, but everything else became much too bland… not enough pirate flavor… and still NO EYEPATCH!!!

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Prototypes: Iteration 4

Posted on March 20, 2023     Leave a Comment

Setup for N(Ai)ggy Iteration 4:

• Txt2Img Prompt – cute green bird with a blunt curved beak and a strap around its head that covers one eye, wearing a pirate hat, using a compass and a map, pixar, Rembrandt, Richard Kane Ferguson, warhammer 40k, comic book, 2D, standing on the deck of a pirate ship

• Tuning Details – Steps: 30, Sampler: DPM++ 2S a Karras, CFG scale: 14 (previously 5), Seed: 4173043286, Face restoration: CodeFormer, Size: 512×512, Model hash: 6ce0161689, Model: v1-5-pruned-emaonly

Still didn’t get my eyepatch… but I 1/20 of them DID have it’s view obscured! Both eyes… but I’m getting closer. I added 2D, which I believe helps it focus more on the outlines of the forms, rather than trying to work with depth perception. The thing that made the biggest difference in this set is the change of the CFG scale. The CFG scale is a factor that determines how much the generated images will follow the prompt. This I bumped this up significantly, by 9, and it really narrowed in on the language of the prompt, and produced small green birds, most of which, are clearly pirates…

…but still no eyepatches!!! 🦜☠️🏴‍☠️

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Prototypes: Iteration 3

Posted on March 20, 2023     Leave a Comment

Setup for N(Ai)ggy Test 3:

• Txt2Img Prompt – cute green bird with a blunt curved beak, with large eyes, wearing an eyepatch, wearing a bowtie, reading a map, pixar, picasso, Richard Kane Ferguson, warhammer 40k, comic book

• Tuning Details – Steps: 30, Sampler: DPM++ 2S a Karras, CFG scale: 5.5, Seed: 3323142277, Face restoration: CodeFormer, Size: 512×512, Model hash: 6ce0161689, Model: v1-5-pruned-emaonly

Another enormously fun collection of output! 🤣

Eyepatch? Nope! On to the next iteration!

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Test 2

Posted on March 20, 2023     Leave a Comment

For the life of me, I cannot get Stable Diffusion to put an eyepatch on a parrot.

It’s fun to mess around, but it’s also frustrating! The upside is that it forces me to approach the problem from different angles, stretch my creative prompting skills, and deepen my understanding of how the model interprets descriptive language. For my second N(Ai)ggy test, I tried a different prompt, but instead of using a ‘parrot’ I am using the descriptive phrase of ‘a cute small green bird with a blunt nose and a curved beak’. Most of what I got was at least parrot-esque, or parrot-adjacent.

As for the eyepatch, I wondered if I could get a bird to wear something else and work my way toward what I really want. I went with a ‘red bowtie’ this time. Maybe, similar to my approach to the ‘cute small green bird’ vs. ‘parrot’ description, I should try something like ‘a strap worn on the head that has a flap covering one eye’.

I want to improve my prompting skills around getting the subject to do actions too, so I went with ‘reading a map’ this time. Although it’s a stretch to say he is holding a map in most of the renderings, he is most definitely reading something.

For flavor, the stylistic keyword cues I used this time included: ‘picasso’, ‘pixar’, ‘high renaissance’, and ‘4k’, (and for some extra fun, ‘warhammer 40k’).

All together, a very fun iteration, with some hilarious results!

Enjoy! (Naggy, “EN-joy?!”).

What the Cheese do… Invoke the #psyQUESOsis

Posted on March 20, 2023     Leave a Comment

The sewers are filled with echoes and rumors about what the cheese do… Although there are some clues about how it affects rats, much is still unknown about these powerful psychoactive, curdled, and cultured agents. There are stories, legends, though… as some samples have gone missing from the Mafia chemist’s stores. Under a shroud of confidentiality, a number of rats have described their experiences while on their trips and undergoing #psy-queso-sis. Find out what the cheese do… at your own risk.

N(Ai)ggy – Stable Diffusion Test 1

Posted on March 16, 2023     Leave a Comment

My “UnRuggable Mindset”: Why I Give Zero Fucks if #FatRatMafia is a Con

Posted on March 14, 2023     Leave a Comment

The last 24 hours of Twitter have been filled with the intense buzz about @MISTFITSPROJ rugging… are they? what is going on?

There is confusion about who is in charge, and where the ETH is. As a non-hodling outsider I don’t have a stake in it, but all I can tell is that a lot of people are upset and scared about their digital property losing value. Many people in the Twitter Web3/NFT space are really only here for personal monetary gain, and it’s very sad to watch. Especially when they get duped so hard.

But there is a better, healthier way to approach NFT projects and communities: Cultivate an “UnRuggable Mindset”.

Love him or hate him, @GaryVee is a powerhouse in the NFT space. Some people think he’s a hack. Other people (like me) think he’s the real deal. I would argue that regardless of your stance, his perspective is worth examining critically to figure out where you agree and disagree with him. He is frequently asked questions like…

”How much money should I put into crypto/NFTs?”

To which he typically answers,

“As much as possible…

…(long pause for effect)…

… that you can afford to go to zero.”

I have taken this approach, and it is proving to be an effective way to have fun in the Web3 space, without taking foolish risks that would jeopardize my family or my way of life.

When you are in it for the people, rather than for the profit, you are no longer vulnerable to the crushing disappointment that comes in the wake of major drops in value of digital property.

Blockchain technologies are in their infancy, and we are all still figuring out the economics of it all. In this Wild Wild Web3 West, bad actors are taking advantage of people who get their hopes up about the projects they ‘invest’ to ‘go to the moon’, and they literally bank on striking it rich on NFTs. That’s all good in fun, but it’s far too common than is healthy.

People though… people and relationships are always worth investing in. And a rogue project (maybe like @MISTFITSPROJ?) cannot rug them from you.

For the last 18 months, I have watched the NFT craze rage from afar. I did not get in to any NFT communities until within the last month when I jumped all-in with the #FatRatMafia . So far it’s been a blast!

I am all about making connections in mental health circles on Twitter, and that’s how I found #FatRatMafia. They host a space that is under the wide umbrella that is the #MentalHealthCollective, for #MentalHealthMonday, which was good enough for me to keep showing up for a few weeks in a row. Many NFT projects will tout that they care about mental health, but every space they host is really just another shill sesh, laid on thick.

#FatRatMafia’s mental health spaces have not been like that. The conversations are wide-ranging and deep, which speaks to the strength of the group.

Now… are my good feelings a guarantee that the community will last? Or is it an indication of monetary value growth? Not at all. Only time will tell.

Here is another reason to respect what the #FatRatMafia does… For a moment, let’s assume that it IS all a con: its execution is fucking flawless.

If the #FatRatMafia were to betray and backstab their family, what would be more on brand for a fucking MAFIA? If we do all get rugged, I have had a blast watching these professionals do their cloak-and-dagger dirty work. I regularly pay for fickle entertainment, and so do we all. So if this is a long con it’s a hell of good one and it is fucking fun to watch.

Let’s say that the sewer is drained, ‘The Don’ takes the ETH and runs… I have already received massive returns in my own positive social value from the relationships that I have made from within the community. Value that is locked tightly in my heart’s safe. Invulnerable. Unruggable.

Here are a few of the #FatRatMafia insiders, and how they have added value to my life:

“R!TA” (@thegodmother27) – Runs a book club on Sundays, and participates or co-hosts about 100 other spaces throughout the week. She’s always guiding the discussion in a way that provides insight and that builds others up.

“Disc” (@DiscGolfDegen) – Runs the mental health space on Mondays. As many know, mental health conversations are really all I am here for (maybe ad nauseam). The #MentalHealthMonday space attracts quality speakers, and covers helpful topics with a genuine intent to improve the lives of others. He also runs a ton of silly spaces that are fun, and we all need some fun in our lives.

“Laluzi” (@LaluziTheFirst) – Frontloads trust in others for the sake of growing the pack. Supported me as I descended into the sewers. A Rat of his word.

Outside of the #FatRatMafia itself, my association with them has also lead me to these awesome people from elsewhere in the Twitterverse:

@BigBen – A father of 4 who has a daughter in chemo. By sharing his story, he has shown so much strength in his vulnerability. I hope that he can get support from the community as he continues facing the challenges of being a loving parent and caretaker. Sharing a deeply personal story like his is such an inspiration.

@Aurelius – A writer who is leading conversations about the major players in the web3 scene and making it a better place by featuring projects that have shown themselves to be worth paying attention to.

@PharaohCarlis, who goes by “Lucky” –  A fellow #Veteran with a mission to help others. He is connected to the #FisherHouse charity that provides temporary housing to wounded veterans’ families as they are in recovery.

@MeliMakesMoney – Another player in the #Veteran support arena. She has a heart for those touched by heartbreaking stories of service member and veteran suicide.

…and many others!

Are these people, who I have connected with in meaningful ways outside of fatratmafia spaces, ALL cons? …I can’t prove that they are not…

But again, the conversations that I have had with them have given me inspiration and hope. Knowing them has improved my life and mental wellbeing.

Too many in the Web3 NFT space are truly only here for one reason: blind greed. Some may not even recognize it, until things go south, and they lash out at the founders or team, rather than examine how their actions and mindset put them into such a vulnerable position. The only reason they are here is to take a fat cash-out when they exit. All they care about is finding treasures in their bag when it’s all over…

But for people like me with an “UnRuggable Mindset”, here’s the true Alpha: The real treasures are the friends we meet along the way.

#beUnRuggable

Twitter Spaces for #MentalHealth #PeerSupport: Features, Rewards, Risks, and Best Practices. (Written in January 2022)

Posted on March 13, 2023     Leave a Comment

Last month, I got back into social media to improve my mental health. In early 2020, partly due to a manic episode just prior to the lockdowns, I nuked all my social media accounts to dust. COVID isolation over the last two years has (unsurprisingly) disallowed me to connect in person with others, but I wanted to connect with peers somehow. With the new year, I began my grand reentrance into the arena of social media for the sake of improving my network of peer support. On January 1^st I found Twitter Spaces, and my social media life will never be the same!

Over the last six weeks, I have participated in dozens of mental health Spaces and I feel more supported by peers than I ever have. NOTE: It is very important to understand that peer support on Spaces is no substitute for professionally licensed mental health therapy. I write this to highlight Twitter Spaces as one potential source for non-professional peer support.

 ‘Spaces’ are the new social audio feature of Twitter. For those of you familiar with Clubhouse, Spaces is Twitter’s answer to the threat posed by that relatively new platform. In Spaces, you can find real-time conversations about every topic under the sun (NSFW warning: including topics where the sun does not shine, so be wary). Being a new feature, Spaces is far from a perfect product. Like anywhere else on the internet, trolls abound. However, the positive features of the platform have been incredibly helpful to me far beyond the downsides. It is good to know what can be gained in Spaces, and what should be avoided, depending on your personal situation. Here are features of Spaces, and some things to know:

Feature – Peer support Spaces are available nearly 24/7.

Pro: Whenever I need encouragement or need to vent my frustrations, I have been able to quickly find a Space that allows me to get the support I need.

Con: There is a tendency for some to over-indulge in Spaces, hopping from one to the next for hours on end. It is fun, but it can also be semi-addictive, and also very draining.

Best Practice: Know why you are in a Space. To hang out? To seek peer support? Once you have met your intent, you have no duty to others that you need to stick around. Your personal situation must be considered above any feelings of obligation to others to stay for hours on end to your own detriment.

Feature – Spaces are interactive.

Pro: If you want a chance to comment, share, or ask questions, you can do so very easily. Or you can just use emojis. Or you can just listen. I appreciate that I can choose my level of involvement.

Con: As stated before, trolls sometimes come into Spaces. An attentive and experienced Spaces host will be able to spot them before they get on a mic and act in a way that could trigger listeners, but it is a risk in any room.

Best Practice: Get to know some hosts who you think run well-moderated discussions and have shown themselves to be good troll-patrollers. Good hosts will be able to keep discussions on topic or will be able to decide if taking detours is part of the fun.

Feature – Spaces can be anonymous.

Pro: Sometimes it is easier to talk anonymously to someone who is not in your inner (in-person) circle about mental health issues, because you don’t need to redefine your relationship to do so.

Con: If you are seeking support anonymously, you may be opening yourself up to questions from other users that could put you on the spot and make you very uncomfortable.

Best Practice: Having well defined boundaries will help you be safe and secure in a Space. Decide what your boundaries are before being asked things like your location, your age, your pronouns, or your family situation.

Hopefully these tips give you some insight into the communities that are growing on Twitter in 2022 and beyond, and help you decide if you want to be a part of them too. Spaces aren’t perfect, but you may meet some wonderful people there. And maybe I’ll see you in one of them!