Hi everybody. Now this might be a bit of a different fringy mini in that this is an important Wednesday in Culturally European, I think not quite the right way to say it the culturally Christian community as it is the day of I don't even know how to say it Chelsea It's it's the winter solstice people say that Jesus was born this day He clearly wasn't but it's the winter solstice and the Christians hijacked it. I think that's a perfect way to say it
Okay, good. Now anyhow because it's a more important Wednesday than all the other Wednesdays. Yes Wednesdays I am sorry, but that's how it works We have a longer mini and in fact it might not even be really classified as a mini for how long this will be But that's okay. What we have here is a few articles about this particular day That's just a little bit of fun for us all work through the holidays with now Chelsea
I'm gonna let you start this one just so that we we have a good alternating pattern here. Okay, my first mini I guess we could call it is I'm so many pop-ups on this goddamn website from
Miro mirror mirror mirror co.uk. That's a little bit to get out properly you win the lead out Let me add oh December 22nd 2023 you may see more UFOs and aliens around Christmas for very bizarre explanation That's not proper English, but let's get into the article Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year for some but for others
It is a time when alien life shows up. It is reported December sightings of what say are Those are the only two options wonderful time of year or a clean show up Seem more common than they do at any other time of year and there is good reason for this with the English in this is Atrocious There's good reason for this with fireworks and light spectacles Laged up more often than not according to the UFO reporting center technical director Christian Steppian
Twice a year the company sees a slight uptick in potential sightings and the holiday season Certainly heralds its fair share of alleged alien encounters Speaking to the Daily Beast at the time Ron James of the mutual UFO network said we do have a slight uptick Twice a year in the summer and around the holidays. There are a few reasons why people might be paying more attention
They might be off work. They're doing family activities and things. They don't normally do so There's more possibilities for people to encounter things then of course There's always Santa Claus and the reindeer not even sure what that means if there is an uptick. I can understand that because well They're up. Yeah, exactly People just report them as a UFO Because there's a lot of people out during Christmas time shopping and doing things they might be looking up in the air
So I can understand if it's there. I can understand it if there is further research from Ufology reported a significant increase on Christmas Day with 75 reported cases over 2021 alone. Christopher Rutkovsky of Ufology said most were simply lights in the sky and yes Somewhere of a single red light flying overhead followed by a string of others Historic sightings around the holiday period have been reported as early as Christmas 1965 This Christmas tradition only goes back 60 years. Yeah
Okay as early as 1965. Can you imagine if it was the year zero? This goes back as far as Jesus And always remember you don't have to get him both a Christmas present and a birthday present Yeah, you just choose what one yeah, you tell no you tell them it's for both an incense is really cheap So that's probably the best birthday slash Christmas. Yeah, I mean you could get him some murder too. I'm pretty sure that's pretty cheap
Exactly. That's what I'm going for Wally Shreerah Junior who was aboard the Gemini six spacecraft orbiting Earth claims to have seen an object Heading from north to south entering and reentering the atmosphere. He wrote at the time We have an object looks like satellite going from north to south probably in polar orbit
Looks like he might be going to reinter soon. It might just let me pick up that thing Hello aviation expert Thomas Stafford said I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front Pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit. Do you think this was maybe sarcasm or like light humor? It could be sarcasm. It could be The oh, what's the satellite supposed to go north south? I know what you're talking about. Yeah, I know I can't remember the freaking name
So funny, I just watched a video like night that black night night. Yeah, but this is Christmas Day And this guy's clearly alluding that it's Santa
So yeah, no what he was seeing was just the black night satellite. Don't worry. Yeah, exactly Wally and Thomas time on the spacecraft and alleged extraterrestrial sighting caused chaos in the control room But the duo soon revealed their ruse as aviator Wally began playing jingle bells on his harmonica Mr. Stafford said Wally came up with the idea He could play the harmonica and we practiced two or three times before we took off
But of course we didn't tell the guys on the ground in the case of practical and actual sightings of UFOs during the festive season Ron James added a feeling is that there's not that there's an actual increase in phenomenon occurring It's more that there's more people in a position to see and experience things that might already be there pretty much consistently that's the end of the article and Not sure how I feel about that the English was off
Yeah, it was off a mixed in some humor with actually people are home more during the holiday So yeah, we're actually yeah something I agree and not only are they home more during the holidays But they're awake more during night hours during the holidays too, which was what I was gonna say as like that
Probably explains it but at the same time too. They said there's two upticks throughout the year and ones in the summer So that like completely throws everything off for me Yeah, and then mixed in with the guys on the spacecraft just like having fun and saying they saw Santa and it They were just making a joke because one guy could play the harmonica Which is good enough reason to do that. I guess if you have a friend that pays the harmonica, I mean why not?
Yeah, okay, well, you know what it was missing from there I really thought actual stories of people seeing things from the holidays No, I thought it was gonna be about the Christmas star the star that's brighter around Christmas time That's what I thought they're gonna say people were seeing what stars right around Christmas You can't remember what one it there's a brighter star one that led donkey to small one small one So there's not actually like a star that is brighter at Christmas
Yeah, there is no there isn't there's been things that have been nicknamed the Christmas star
But it's because like in one particular year. They were brighter at the Christmas season Generally, they're planets, so it's weird I thought there is a real Christmas, but no, there's there's no actual Christmas star as far as I'm aware Listeners, you can correct it wrong during the winter No And we will just leave this silence Okay Chelsea I felt like my Christmas stories or news articles are going to probably play a little bit into our
Your end wrap up in that there. There are definitely things that we've talked about in the past Okay, and I think you're gonna be really happy here because we are gonna delve into the lives of the rich and the British
And that being the royal family on the Christmas mini. Yes, okay, because Kate Middleton Can't wait to get rid of Queen Elizabeth's quote weird and quote Christmas tradition This comes from MSN comm written by staff author on November 26th of 2024 here we go Middleton fully intends to get rid of the tradition in favor of a more quote middle class I'm quote holiday the royal family has hundreds of years worth of Christmas traditions
But that doesn't mean the modern royal family necessarily enjoys these customs In fact, Kate Middleton isn't a fan of one of Queen Elizabeth's long-standing Christmas Eve plans and fully intends on getting rid of it Once she and Prince William sit upon the throne Dating back to the 1800s the British Royal have opened gifts on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day After the tradition was introduced by Queen Victoria and her German husband Prisselbert in the 1800s
Elizabeth reportedly loved this habit a source told the Daily Beast in October because she quote Disliked extravagant and overt expressions of consumerism and preferred Christmas Day to be a sacred note and quote the princess of Wales However would much rather do things differently and has her own Christmas traditions in mind Kate has always found the presence on Christmas Eve thing Weird, she's definitely going to get rivet when they're officially running things
I imagine it will continue this year as Sandringham in some shape or form Everything is going to be much more relaxed and have a middle-class flavor at Anner Hall You can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing proper Presence for each other and the kids there on Christmas Day and quote a source close to the prince and princess of Wales told the outlet Middleton's Christmas is stacked this year. The princess will be hosting her annual. You know what we can skip that
That's that's all of it. You know what to be fair I thought this article is gonna be a bit more and I thought that they were gonna say that Prince Andrew can't go near the kids anymore That was it That one more Prince Andrew just sorry British Andy gets to go into that room alone with all the miners But apparently he still gets to do that also I should state that's not actually what it happens
That's just a fun opinion of the podcast. Yeah, okay, so that means it's me I'm going to read from Guardian comm and this one is titled mystery toy gnomes Maybe burglary ploy whilst police learn That is great. No, thank you Steve Morris September 5th, 2023 There are plenty of very sensible and pretty conventional crime prevention tips on North Wales police's website for making sure windows are Secure to planting prickly hedges on boundaries to deter thieves
We heard that before the police need to do this. No, that's what they're telling will deter from like burglaries Okay, Rose's probably work to Rose bushes. I I thought that punishment really didn't stop crime I would also probably if they're listening to this podcast
Mote's would be a good idea too. I think feel them with some crocodiles They're my favorite animal, but this week officers issued some more unusual advice Keep an eye out for the cuddly Christmas gnomes that have begun appearing in front gardens Police believe the heavily bearded soft toys are being left not as thoughtful if out of season gifts But by burglars who are trying to test whether our homes are empty if the gnome is not moved
Burglars work on the basis that the householder is probably not around and their home is a decent target The gnomes began appearing on September 1st when two men said to be carrying royal male style bags were spotted in Browton Flintshire they were reportedly looking at properties and placing items into residents gardens including gnomes The sightings were flagged up on the north of Wales community alert page Officers have now posted on the police's South Flintshire Facebook page
Explaining what may be going on well We are aware of a report of individuals in the Browton area leaving Christmas gnomes in residential front gardens This type of behavior is sometimes used as a colon card to see if the gnome is collected by the resident and quote They said re-quote if not The property is likely to be empty and could be an easy target for burglaries We would advise residents to be vigilant and ensure your home is secure and quote I have read five articles in the last year
You better watch out they might not let you in soon Chelsea see if I saw a gnome in my garden I Guess the real question is I feel like I would question has that always been there I don't recall if I put that there for not yeah, that's fair also if they're placing it well I would be in a position where like well that that that's just like the good feng shui of the garden I can't move yeah, no unless they take their ire out on the garden itself and or me exactly
Because it's a gnome. Yeah, well, they're close relatives of the niece and nieces are fucking terrible Oh, yeah, we've done an episode on those guys and maybe you just leave it as to not piss off the Earth spirit Yeah, I think I've also screwed my child over a little and that all the like Christmas nobens I've seen everywhere. He asked me what they are and I tell them they're nieces and like nobody's gonna know what that is
Yeah, good for him though, you're doing it for him. He needs to know these things exactly exactly Oh, yeah, like I really hope that the the thief the operator of the gnome Is it that well like oriented and like word of gnome should be placed in a garden or in a yard?
So that like people are like, oh, yeah, that's a nice gnome in my yard and then they got wrong okay, so you would think this these aren't like placing it nicely and Feng shui li You think that I was trying to put it in you know the turn that as an action Feng shui li in your garden so that you're like, yeah, that looks really nice instead They probably should just be like chucking it into your yard so that it's like oh, yeah, like falling over in your yard
So that you have to go pick it up and be like exactly what is this doing here? Should I put it back in my garden or what's going on here? That's what they mean That's actually fair. I'm just picturing them placing it nicely in the garden. Yeah, no now that I think about it They probably don't even lay them like standing in the yard Because then somebody like feels like they at least have to stand it up
Should they feel that the gnome feels wronged? Yeah, I don't know Did normal people feel that gnomes get wronged because I do I feel like they feel wronged They want to be next to a rock mostly I think but I think I was picturing it the same way you were where someone was like Placing it nicely in the garden so that it looked as if it was a part of the They look in the back of their like white passenger van and like oh this this gnome deserves to be here like look it just fits
With that that flowing water and the lilies and that mushroom there He's in the shade like he's gonna do He's gonna thrive in this little heat Okay, I'm glad I'm glad we thought the same thing here. We were at the same page Okay, Chelsea now I'm gonna finish this off We're gonna go with a more religious route for this heathenest of holidays
What is the birth of Christ? I'm not really but yeah, yeah If faith is gonna be pretty religious this came out on November 28th, 2024 Article title AI Jesus avatar test man's faith in machines and the divine as on MSN comm and it was written by Jamie Keaton Did I hear all those words correctly? Yes. Well, sorry, I don't actually know but I'm gonna read the story anyways It would you trust an AI Jesus with your innermost thoughts and troubles?
Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland For an avatar of Jesus on a computer screen tucked into a confessional to questions by visitors on faith morality Oh my god, no and modern-day woes and offered responses based on scripture The idea said the chapel's theological assistant was to recognize the growing importance of artificial intelligence and human lives
Even when it comes to religion and explore the limits of human trust in a machine after the two-month run of the dais in Makina exhibit at Peter's Chapel starting in late August some 900 conversations from visitors some came more than once Or transcribed anonymously those behind the project said it was largely a success Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought and found easy to use a small sign Invited visitors to enter a confessional chosen for its intimacy and
Below a lattice screen across which penitent believers would usually speak with a priest a green light Signaled the visitors turn to speak and a red one came on when AI Jesus on a computer screen on the other side was responding Often a leg time was needed to wait for the response a testament to the technical complexities After exiting nearly 300 visitors filled at questionnaires that informed the report released Wednesday
Phillip Hasselbauer an IT specialist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art Who pulled together the technical side of the project said the AI responsible for taking the role of AI Jesus and generating responses was GPT for By open AI and an open-source version of the company's whisper was used for speech comprehension an AI video generator from Hagen Yeah, that sounds better right Hagen was used to produce voice and video from a real person
He said Hasselbauer said no specific safeguards were used because we observed GPT for O to respond fairly well to controversial topics Visitors broach many topics including true love the afterlife feelings of solitude war and suffering in the world the existence of God plus issues like sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church or its position on homosexuality Most visitors described themselves as Christians
Although agnostics atheists Muslims Buddhists and Taoists took part to according to a recap of the project released by the Catholic parish of Lucerne About one third were German speakers, but AI Jesus which is conversant in about 100 languages also had conversations and languages like Chinese English French Hungarian Italian Russian and Spanish although it's not said in the article
But none of those conversations were as true as the German topics. Oh, yeah, because that that's like everybody else
That's Jesus is true language. Yeah Quote what was really interesting was to see that the people really talked with him in a serious way They didn't come to make jokes and quote said chapel theologian Marco Schmead who spearheaded the project Most visitors were aged 40 to 70 and more Catholic respondents found the experience stimulating then did Protestants The reports showed oh man, we can talk about that later on Schmead was quick to point out that AI Jesus build as a Jesus like persona was an
Artistic experiment to get people thinking about the intersection between the digital and the divine not substitute for human interaction Or sacramental confessions with a priest nor was it intended to save the pastoral resources
Quote for the people it was clear it was a computer. It was clear was not a confession He wasn't programmed to give Solutions or prayers at the end it was more summary of the conversation said Schmead The Catholic Church from the Vatican on down has been wrestling with challenges and possible opportunities presented by the experience Explosion in public interest in AI since generative artificial intelligence captured the world attention
Two years ago when open AI's chat GBT came into the world that Vatican has appointed a friar from medieval Franciscan order as its top expert on AI and a Lutheran church in Bavaria Served up sermons delivered by chatbots last year Pope Francis is in his annual peace message for this year pushed for an International treaty to ensure the ethical use of AI technology. I think that's far enough
I think we're gonna just from there talk about things that we've already done. I wonder How fire binari feels about this and if he spearheaded this I I as far as I can tell he has not I specifically looked for his input on this and I could not fight any new articles in the last four months So clearly nobody's talked to him about this, but I was really hoping I could find something from him But yeah, I think that's a fun use of AI and I think it actually makes sense training something on the
Bible and then asking for its opinion on a question with only knowing the Bible would actually give you a decent response Would it not you would think so? I don't know. I didn't ask it any questions Yeah, I think it's funny that they stored the questions. I would like to see the most popular question I know they kind of said what the range of questions by far how big is your dick Jesus?
Like you know it, you know I know and they did they sorry we didn't read the whole article Maybe they get into it at some point, but not not how far we got nor am I actually gonna look to see if they answered it So you guys can go read it. Fair enough fair enough interesting. That's I really need this to wash over me
I need some time to process everything. Yeah, that one took me by surprise a little bit I'm still stuck at AI Jesus I still don't know how to feel about it because on the one hand I really don't like AI taking all facets of life from us But at the same time I feel like this is actually an interesting spot to put AI Yeah, it is that if you more Jesus than a pastor is gonna be exactly because it pastures gonna have their opinion on things and tell
You specifically certain scriptures and especially over the last 80 years. It's been a move. Oh They've moved from actual teachings of Christ to the prosperity gospel Which is basically the people who have money deserve to have money because they're successful They're they're inherently good because they have money which is absolutely exactly against Jesus's teachings But it's it's been the movement in Christianity for like almost a hundred years now at least in North America
So to see it just coming from the book that's gonna give you a different answer Well, I'm glad because I don't know spoiler alert for everybody Jesus was not a fan of people with money I mean me and him have that in common and it's a little bit disturbing that what can we call this? Christianity has taken on the side of corporations. I think we can call it Christ a I needy. Yeah, it took on the side of corporations apparently cuz they're blessed by AI Jesus
Oh wait, hold on not AI Jesus. Maybe I AI Jesus looks differently But in any event I am really waiting for for our Bernati to actually give us some some something on this He has to I just did a search and there's literally if I go to news. There's three articles There's three articles one of them is the one I just read to you And it doesn't actually like say anything that for our Bernati said it just mentions him very sad about this You would think he would be the ultimate speaker of Jesus AI
Representative you think yeah, but no, I don't know what's going on. I don't know what to tell you on that It's a Vatican anyhow guys 2025 is gonna have some interesting stories from Bernati and AI Jesus I hope and in maybe some sort of way we can be at Jesus penis size too, but don't worry about that We're gonna try to avoid that if we can anyhow you guys all forget that last little bit you enjoy your Christmas
Don't think about that other part just open those presents and be in the presence of everyone around you, okay? That's the real okay Okay, and just like don't think about it. Don't think about it. Merry Christmas a bit of the day Bye