Author: SupremeCmdr

My Therapist/Job Loss Counselor is a Chatbot

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I have an older post titled My Therapist is a Chatbot and if you liked it you’ll love this story.

Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing… looked at everything that has happened this week, particularly the bit where Xbox laid off a bunch of people at the same time Microsoft pledged to invest $80 billion in AI, and decided that not only does he need to give advice to those laid off, but that the advice should come in the form of…AI prompts, which will somehow give responses that will “help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss”. Xbox Producer Recommends Laid Off Workers Should Use AI To ‘Help Reduce The Emotional And Cognitive Load That Comes With Job Loss’ – https://aftermath.site/xbox-microsoft-layoffs-ai-prompt-chatgpt-matt

The source article contains a screen shot of Turnbull’s LinkedIn post. Well worth reading for the shock value alone.

Yikes.

Not Cool

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Our research identifies six core attributes of cool people. Specifically, cool people tend to be powerful, hedonistic, adventurous, autonomous, open, and extroverted. Surprisingly, the attributes of cool people vary little across cultures. Cool People https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001799.pdf

Sorry but I’m not cool.

I’ve Been in Physical Therapy For Over Three Months

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Less is more.

We’ve turned the idea of “exercise” into something so loaded these days, only to be validated by a specific kind of intensity. Just uttering the word exercise now can ignite an all-or-nothing mindset, filled with protein obsessions, endless wearable fitness trackers, or even a costly membership to an elite wellness club. I Won’t Be Shamed — Physical Therapy Is Still Exercise – https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/physical-therapy-still-a-workout-49448831

I used to be a runner. Quite a few years ago my knees told me not to run anymore.

I joined the Y and did the elliptical and treadmills until my knees complained some more. I moved my exercise routine to the resistance machines. Then Covid hit, I cancelled my membership and the months turned into years away from the gym.

I found some resistance bands in the house and started some simple exercises at home. I rejoined the Y and started back with the resistance machines.

Earlier this year my employer offered access to online virtual physical therapy. I took advantage of this benefit from https://www.hingehealth.com/ and have been in physical therapy now for over three months. Less pain (especially my cervical spine, the result of a near fatal encounter with a car), less stiffness, better flexibility, and gradually improving strength. The beauty of the program is availability on demand and it is 100% HEP (home exercise program). Sessions are 10-12 minutes long and you don’t have to leave the house.

Less is more.

Take a Break 07.03.25

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You might not see him in person
But he’ll see you just the same
You might not see him in person
But he’ll see you just the same
Yeah, yeah
You don’t have to worry ’cause takin’ care of business is his name

I met Billy Gibbons in the lobby at the “Commodore Hotel” in Memphis.

I’ve seen the bright lights of Memphis and the Commodore Hotel.

And to think I used to have these albums in my collection…

I Want My Daughter (or granddaughter) to get Skin Care Advice From TikTop (from a 7 YO)

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Content creator ages ranged from 7 to 18 years. Each video reviewed had an average of 1.1 million views. Regimens featured an average of 6 products, costing an average of $168/regimen. Only one-quarter of videos (26.2%) included sunscreen. The top 25 most-viewed videos contained an average of 11 and a maximum of 21 potentially irritating active ingredients.

Conclusions: Skin care regimens on TikTok are costly, infrequently include sunscreen, and often involve exposure to ingredients that carry a risk of irritation, allergic contact dermatitis, and sun sensitivity. They offer little to no benefit for the pediatric populations they are targeting. Pediatric Skin Care Regimens on TikTok https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40484399/

Yikes.

You’re welcome.

Vapes Clouds Contain Absolutely Horrifying Chemicals

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“When I first saw the lead concentrations, they were so high I thought our instrument was broken…” Salazar and his colleagues discovered concentrations of toxic forms of metals like nickel, chromium, and antimony in most of the tested vapes. To quickly sum up what makes these metals bad: the type of nickel the researchers detected can cause lung and nasal cancer; chromium is also considered a carcinogen; and antimony can lead to heart and lung problems when inhaled as a dust and cause vomiting when swallowed.

Yikes. https://futurism.com/neoscope/vape-clouds-horrifying-chemicals

I Bet This Is a Big Problem

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Is sports wagering a public health crisis?

“Folks might be familiar with this group at Northeastern, the Public Health Advocacy Institute. It is treating gambling as a public health issue and has deemed it a crisis…

“First of all, lots of people, predominantly young men, are losing more money than they can afford gambling on sports, or are developing either full-blown or sort of borderline gambling addictions. To me, that makes it a public health issue.”

Jonathan D. Cohen on how sports gambling became a public health crisis – https://awfulannouncing.com/gambling/author-jonathan-d-cohen-perils-sports-betting.html

The next major health epidemic in the U.S. will not come from a pathogen. This plague has a potential patient population in the tens of millions, limited effective treatments, and is not widely studied in the medical community. I’m referring to sports gambling, an activity that deeply alarms me as a physician who specializes in addiction. Problem gambling can increase the incidence of depression and anxiety and can lead to bankruptcy, homelessness, or suicide. Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis – https://kevinmd.com/2025/06/why-gambling-addiction-is-americas-next-health-crisis.html

Yikes.