Skip to Content

The Independent Variable

Posts on page 10

đŸ€– A cartoonist's review of AI art

The Oatmeal

Artists hate using it. Consumers hate consuming it And yet it thrives, like an Arby’s built inside a protected forest.

This whole comic nails it—especially that line. The only people excited about AI art are those who see it as some sort of tech bro hustle culture. But real artists, actual fans, and people already a part of these communities want and expect more from their art—even if they can’t always tell something was AI. Art I about humanity and connection and no matter how good AI gets at replicating things (keyword: replicating), it

đŸ€– A cartoonist's review of AI art Read more

đŸ€– AI-Directed movie ‘The Sweet Idleness’ releases trailer amid AI actor Tilly Norwood controversy: ‘the first movie’ made by an ‘AI agent’

Variety

The film is “conceived to celebrate the poetic and dreamlike language of great European cinema” and directed “by an AI agent” called “FellinAI,” according to a statement.

This is gross. And not just because it’s removing the humanity—an essential component of art—from the creation, but it genuinely looks terrible. Can you imagine sitting through two hours of this ugly monstrosity? And yeah, I know, the tech will get better and not look this bad—eventually—but god is it ugly today.

đŸ€– AI-Directed movie ‘The Sweet Idleness’ releases trailer amid AI actor Tilly Norwood controversy: ‘the first movie’ made by an ‘AI agent’ Read more

đŸ”« FBI boss Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws

AP

All travelers to New Zealand are required to declare any guns or gun parts when entering the country, New Zealand’s border security agency confirmed Wednesday. The agency, Customs, wouldn’t disclose what declarations Patel made on arrival.
Visitors must seek a license to possess a pistol on New Zealand soil. It wasn’t immediately clear if Patel had sought one.

Hey, New Zealand! Please arrest this man! He broke your country’s laws and seeing as he is an officer of the law and is supposed to uphold the law he should be forced to follow the local

đŸ”« FBI boss Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws Read more

đŸ€– OpenAI launches a social network

Platformer

On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced Sora, an iOS app that lets you create and share 10-second, AI-generated video clips in a feed. It was designed to look familiar, OpenAI employees said in a live broadcast on Tuesday morning, and indeed Sora closely resembles TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Honestly, bring on the AI slop to all of these apps. Maybe I can finally beat my scrolling addiction. The idea of “perfectly personalized entertainment” made just for me by some LLM is repulsive. It goes against the definition of “art,” which is about human expression, provoking feelings, and communicating with others.

đŸ€– OpenAI launches a social network Read more

đŸ„€ Mountain Dew gets dirty with a new cream soda and fans are freaking out

Delish

Late last week, Mountain Dew confirmed a “distinctive and indulgent” new flavor arriving in 2026: Dirty Mountain Dew Cream Soda, a creamy spin on the already popular citrus-flavored soft drink.

As a Mountain Dew and cream soda lover, I’m all for this. But why are we giving all the credit to the mormons. They just reinvented Italian cream soda—which has been around for a century—by throwing more shit in it


đŸ„€ Mountain Dew gets dirty with a new cream soda and fans are freaking out Read more