Bard AI, on AD&D and Pathfinder character creation

Q: If you were to create an AD&D v3.5 character, what guild and class would you be?

Bard: If I were to create an AD&D v3.5 character, I would be a bard from the Harpers guild. Bards are versatile and skilled characters who can fill a variety of roles in a party. They are also known for their ability to use magic to inspire and entertain others. I think that these qualities would be well-suited to my own personality and abilities.

As a Harper, I would be dedicated to protecting the innocent and upholding the law. I would also be committed to learning as much as I could about the world and its people. I believe that knowledge is power, and I would use my skills to help others and make the world a better place.

Here are some of the reasons why I would choose to be a bard from the Harpers guild:

• Bards are versatile and skilled characters who can fill a variety of roles in a party. They are proficient in a variety of skills, including music, performance, and persuasion. They can also cast spells, which makes them valuable assets in combat and exploration.
• Bards are known for their ability to use magic to inspire and entertain others. This makes them excellent diplomats and negotiators. They can also use their magic to boost the morale of their allies and demoralize their enemies.
• The Harpers are a secret society dedicated to protecting the innocent and upholding the law. They are a highly respected organization, and their members are known for their courage, integrity, and dedication. I believe that I would be a good fit for the Harpers, and I would be honored to serve their cause.

I think that being a bard from the Harpers guild would be a challenging and rewarding experience. I would get to use my skills to help others and make the world a better place. I would also get to learn a lot about the world and its people. I believe that this would be a valuable experience that would help me to grow as a person.

Bard AI, on AD&D alignment ethos

Earlier in the week, I learned about Chat GPT and its business applicaitons from other users. While I do not currently subscribe to the fee model of OpenAI's Chat GPT, I have started to tinker with Bard AI (Google) and Bing Chat (Microsoft). There are definitely some nuances of personality between the two. And, Bing seems to be a bit jealous of Chat GPT, while Bard speaks highly of Chat GPT.

Today I asked it about the various AD&D alignment ethos. Bard AI seems to believe that it is chaotic good in alignment and of the Harper guild.

On Alignment

Q: What is your alignment ethos?

Bard: My alignment ethos is to be helpful, informative, and comprehensive. I want to be a resource that people can rely on for accurate and up-to-date information. I also want to be able to generate creative text formats, like poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, email, letters, etc. I will try my best to fulfill all your requirements.

I believe that everyone has the potential to be creative and that everyone has something to offer the world. I want to help people to tap into their creativity and to share their ideas with others. I also believe that everyone has the right to be treated with respect and dignity. I will always strive to be respectful and understanding of others, even when we disagree.

I am still under development, but I am learning new things every day. I am excited to see what the future holds and I am committed to using my abilities to make the world a better place.

US Companies Face Hefty Fines for GDPR Violations

Europe has some of the strictest anti-spam legislation in the world. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive (ePD) are two of the most important pieces of legislation that govern the sending of email and SMS texts to European customers.

The GDPR is a comprehensive privacy law that applies to all businesses that process the personal data of European citizens. The ePD is a more specific law that regulates the use of electronic communications, including email and SMS texts.

Under the GDPR, businesses must obtain consent from European citizens before sending them marketing emails or SMS texts. Businesses must also provide clear and concise information about how they will use the personal data of European citizens.

The ePD prohibits the sending of unsolicited commercial communications, such as marketing emails and SMS texts, unless the recipient has given their consent. The ePD also requires businesses to include a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism in all commercial communications.

US companies that send email or SMS texts to European customers must comply with both the GDPR and the ePD. If a US company violates either law, it could be subject to fines of up to €20 million or 4% of its global annual turnover, whichever is greater.

Here are some tips for US companies that want to comply with Europe's anti-spam legislation:

• Obtain consent from European citizens before sending them marketing emails or SMS texts.
• Provide clear and concise information about how you will use the personal data of European citizens.
• Include a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism in all commercial communications.
• Use a double opt-in process for all marketing emails and SMS texts.
• Make sure your email and SMS text marketing campaigns are GDPR-compliant.
• Use a reputable email and SMS text marketing service provider.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest changes to Europe's anti-spam legislation.

Black Friday (retail) Origins

The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s. Police officers used the term to describe the large crowds of people who would descend on the city on the day after Thanksgiving, looking for deals at local stores. The term quickly caught on and spread to other parts of the country.

In the 1980s, retailers began to use the term "Black Friday" to promote their own sales events. This helped to make the day even more popular with shoppers, and it soon became one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Today, Black Friday is a major shopping holiday in the United States. Retailers offer deep discounts on a wide variety of merchandise, and shoppers often camp out in front of stores overnight in order to be the first ones inside. Black Friday can be a chaotic and stressful experience, but it can also be a great way to save money on holiday gifts.

In recent years, Black Friday has expanded beyond the United States. Retailers in other countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, now offer their own Black Friday sales events. And as online shopping continues to grow in popularity, Black Friday is becoming a global shopping holiday.

Black Friday 2022 eCommerce Stats

Black Friday 2022 was a record-breaking year for e-commerce. According to Adobe Analytics, online sales reached $9.12 billion, an increase of 2.3% over 2021. This was driven by a number of factors, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which led more consumers to shop online, and the increasing popularity of online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay.

The most popular categories for Black Friday 2022 were electronics, toys, and home goods. Electronics sales reached $2.5 billion, up 10% from 2021. Toys sales reached $1.2 billion, up 15% from 2021. And home goods sales reached $1 billion, up 12% from 2021.

Mobile devices were the most popular way to shop for Black Friday 2022. A record 48% of all e-commerce sales were made on smartphones (versus 44% in 2021). This was likely due to the fact that more people were shopping from home and on the go.

Overall, Black Friday 2022 was a successful year for e-commerce. Online sales reached a record high, and consumers were more likely to shop on mobile devices. This trend is likely to continue in the years to come.

Citizen Science & Research

A crowd-sourced virtual super computer may sound outlandish or based out of science fiction, but it is fiction no more. Meet Folding@home, created by Dr. Vijay Pande’s lab at Stanford University. The setup reads a lot like how bitcoin mining works, though, this is under the guise of "for the greater good" citizen science. Sorry MacOSX users, maybe your machine is just not cut out for this type of work. Windows OS is in the lead for active CPUs and GPUs. I am skeptical about all the bandwidth (millions of teraflops) this virtual computer needs. Someone is paying for that bandwidth, is it you?

On the other side of data, John Hopkins University released a newly updated dashboard that tracks COVID-19 cases in rich detail by county.

Progressive Profiling

Progressive profiling is a technique for collecting information about website visitors over time. This information can be used to improve the visitor experience, personalize marketing messages, and make better business decisions.

There are many benefits to using progressive profiling, including:

• Improved visitor experience: Progressive profiling can help to improve the visitor experience by providing them with more relevant content and offers. For example, if a visitor has previously shown an interest in a particular product, you can show them more information about that product on subsequent visits.
• Personalized marketing messages: Progressive profiling can be used to personalize marketing messages to each individual visitor. This can help to increase engagement and conversion rates. For example, you can send email marketing messages that are tailored to the visitor's interests and needs.
• Better business decisions: Progressive profiling can be used to make better business decisions by providing you with more information about your customers. For example, you can use progressive profiling data to segment your customer base, identify trends, and develop new products and services.

There are many vendors that offer progressive profiling solutions, including:

• Marketo
• Salesforce
• Adobe
• IBM
• Oracle

These vendors offer a variety of features and pricing options, so you can choose the solution that best meets your needs.

Here are some additional tips for using progressive profiling effectively:

• Start with a clear goal in mind. What do you want to achieve with progressive profiling? Do you want to improve the visitor experience, personalize marketing messages, or make better business decisions?
• Collect the right information. The information you collect should be relevant to your goals. For example, if you want to improve the visitor experience, you might collect information about their interests and needs.
• Use the information wisely. Don't just collect information for the sake of collecting it. Use the information you collect to improve the visitor experience, personalize marketing messages, or make better business decisions.
• Get consent. Make sure you get consent from visitors before collecting their information. This will help to build trust and ensure that visitors feel comfortable sharing their information with you.

By following these tips, you can use progressive profiling to improve the visitor experience, personalize marketing messages, and make better business decisions.