KKChat -- 25 January 2026

[Bynw]

[18:12] * Joins: web67
[18:13] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Is that our KK?
[18:13] <The_Bee> hI kk?
[18:13] * web67 is now known as KK
[18:13] <~bynw> we had a dusting of snow last night. but otherwise we've just had bitter cold
[18:13] <HoundMistress> Hi KK
[18:13] <~bynw> hi KK
[18:13] <HoundMistress> What's the weather doing in VA?
[18:13] <KK> I'm here, not frozen or without power, but it's been interesting.
[18:14] <KK> Chris, I know you've got some serious weather going on.
[18:14] <The_Bee> How does Daphne react to snow?
[18:14] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> Hello KK,  keep warm
[18:14] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> Hello, KK!
[18:15] <HoundMistress> I love it when the heat kicks in and one vent blows right one me!
[18:15] <KK> I don't know that Daphne has any concept, since she doesn't have to go out in it.
[18:15] <HoundMistress> ON me
[18:15] <The_Bee> And snow isn't noisy like rain.
[18:16] <HoundMistress> We had sleet so we did hear it falling.
[18:17] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> Chat made me get my sweater and put it on.  and it is 69F here
[18:17] <~bynw> 69? that's higher than my where my heat is set to
[18:18] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> lol
[18:18] <HoundMistress> My heat is set on 76 but I'll have it on 74 during the night
[18:18] <~bynw> wow that's really warm
[18:18] <~bynw> i wouldnt be able to sleep in 74
[18:19] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> I certainly can't. 74 is too cold!
[18:19] <HoundMistress> and under a quilt
[18:19] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> I just turned up the heat to 79.
[18:20] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> I turn the heat down to 64 for sleeping. I like to sleep in a cold, dark cave.
[18:20] <HoundMistress> I'm not that cold natured, but I am still a little chilly at 76
[18:20] <~bynw> my heat is set to 68 right now due to the polar vortex weather. normally it's set to 67 in the winter.
[18:21] <HoundMistress> You're used to that kind of cold.
[18:21] <KK> I'm a big fan of putting on another layer rather than turning up the heat.
[18:21] <~bynw> me too KK
[18:21] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Yeah
[18:22] <~bynw> or under a blanket with fur babies
[18:22] <HoundMistress> I've already got 2 layers on
[18:22] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> You can control your layers: it's hard to get the perfect temperature by just adjusting the furnace.
[18:22] <The_Bee> 76f feels a bit chilly.
[18:22] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> We have an overabundance of blankets here.  I run cool and hubs  runs warm
[18:23] <HoundMistress> As we get older it gets harder to regulate our body heat.
[18:23] <The_Bee> long-johns and long sleeves now
[18:23] <KK> I think my thermostat is set to 68. But I do have an electric foot warmer on my bed.
[18:23] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> And our bedroom runs quite warm. Even in this weather we have the vent closed
[18:24] <HoundMistress> I hate the way the warm air coming pushes out the cold air in the conduits.
[18:25] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> With some of you people talking about "it's so cold, I turned it up to 55 F"
[18:25] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/479836521864888347/1465140581918445648/t.jpg?ex=697805ff&is=6976b47f&hm=ae2cc34ce25964325a5f11796706abb513d518367f5fdf77e93a6f4901444cfd&;
[18:26] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> (cartoon: two penguins on a ice floe
[18:26] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> "It's not so much the heat, as the humidity.")
[18:26] <HoundMistress> LOL! That's funny!
[18:27] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> Does everyone let a water faucet drip so that the pipes don't freeze?
[18:27] <KK> Yep. That's certainly true in summer.
[18:27] <HoundMistress> yes
[18:27] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Oh yeah!!!
[18:28] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> I have much drippage from my faucets. Luckily, the roof repair guy was able to find the hole in the roof before all this, it seems, because the  dripping in my ceiling stopped.
[18:28] <~bynw> not necessary in my townhouse since we aren't on the edge
[18:29] <HoundMistress> I'm in single family but the house is well-insulated.
[18:29] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Hi everyone!
[18:30] <HoundMistress> Hi Jerusha
[18:30] <~bynw> hi Jerusha
[18:30] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Hey Jerusha
[18:30] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> Definitely drip faucets to protect pipes
[18:30] <KK> Hi, Jerusha.
[18:31] <The_Bee> Hi Jerusha
[18:31] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> Hi Jerusha
[18:31] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> I am enjoying balmy Florida.  It was -42C the other morning in Tilden Lake
[18:32] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> What is that in F?
[18:32] <HoundMistress> Lili Kitty has started getting in my lap, like a normal cat
[18:32] <~bynw> did have pipes freeze one winter in an apartment a few years ago, but it was on the edge
[18:32] <~bynw> DFK it's about -45.5
[18:33] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> DFK, that's about -44F
[18:33] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> -43.6F
[18:33] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> Wow!
[18:33] <~bynw> below -40 C it doesn't really make a difference
[18:33] <HoundMistress> I couldn't live anywhere like that.
[18:33] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> freezing cold is still freezing cole
[18:33] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> cold, I meant
[18:34] <The_Bee> -40 is the same, C or F.
[18:34] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> -40°F = -40°C, so around -40, it doesn't much matter what the scale is.
[18:34] <~bynw> unless it's Kelvin
[18:35] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> nyuk nyuk or Rankine.
[18:35] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> I think at Kelvin you would be dead
[18:35] <~bynw> then it matters. but there is no negative degrees in kelvin
[18:35] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> We got some snow from the storm but warm air came in and it went from Sleet to rain and the rain washed all away. Lots of disappointed kids hoping for no school tomorrow.
[18:35] <~bynw> 0 degrees kelvin everything stops
[18:36] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> And on that cheery note....
[18:36] <HoundMistress> We aren't really warming up till Tuesday, when it will get back in the 50s
[18:36] <~bynw> yeah i think it warms up everywhere on Tuesday
[18:36] <The_Bee> cold til Saturday here
[18:37] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Our temps in Florida are set to drop around Wednesday.  Still balmy for Canada though
[18:37] <~bynw> one more day of sub zero lows and single or low double digit highs
[18:37] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> The warm air was aloft but our temperature went from 24?to 40
[18:37] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> In central Texas, the lows won't get reliably above freezing in the next week at least.
[18:37] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> And yet the predictions are for a very hot summer
[18:38] <HoundMistress> Naw, it's going to be 40s and 50s
[18:38] <~bynw> i wouldnt mind below freezing. it's the below 0 that i dont like, except for the hibernating bug killing it does
[18:38] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Bug killing is a plus
[18:39] <CG> [discord] <derynifank> I'm all for bug killing temps.
[18:39] <HoundMistress> The nights will get cold here but the day temps will be 50's and maybe 60 mid afternoon on Thurs.
[18:39] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=30.265&lon=-97.7466 , Austin, says that the low Thursday night is supposed to be 36°F (just above freezing), Monday at 34, and lows below freezing except those two nights.
[18:40] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> My plants are inside , hallway and garage, for at least a week.
[18:40] <HoundMistress> Me, too! We suffered through a week of freezing in 2021 but at least it got the flea and tick larvae.
[18:40] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> No wonder all the birds fly south.   I feel sorry for the little sparrows that stay
[18:40] <KK> Yesterday, I had a flock of several dozen black birds descend on my back yard, very interested in something in the grass; frozen bugs, maybe?
[18:41] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> I am still here, but now eating my tacos.  I had to chop tomato and open an avocado as I am the only one who eats them
[18:41] <KK> I think these were grackles.
[18:41] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> Lunch
[18:41] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Bugcicles?
[18:41] <KK> Maybe.
[18:42] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> That reminded me. Hubs told me he was surrounded by turkeys one day at work this past week
[18:42] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Birds or co-workers?
[18:42] <HoundMistress> What does he do?
[18:42] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> Wild turkeys
[18:42] <The_Bee> They can be fiece.
[18:42] <The_Bee> fierce
[18:43] <KK> And this afternoon, I had an extended herd of over a dozen deer gallop across the back yard, in bunches of 3 or 4 at a time. they were beautiful!
[18:43] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> Wild turkeys.  He delivers for imperfect foods/misfits market
[18:43] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/479836521864888347/1465145164535431220/image.jpg?ex=69780a44&is=6976b8c4&hm=6c6ef0148a4ff5197434e72d7b14c44b50cab5424c53c0f9b8ae029654ba204c&;
[18:43] <HoundMistress> I miss the deer from when we lived west of Austin. Now we live NE of Austin & not in the hill country
[18:44] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> That was just a small portion of all the grackles we saw a few weekds ago
[18:44] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> That was just a small portion of all the grackles we saw a few weeks ago
[18:44] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> They surrounded and were pecking at his van. He was saved when they ran after another delivery truck that passed by
[18:44] <KK> That's what mine looked like, minus the tawny ones.
[18:44] <HoundMistress> In the last 100 years, birds have learned there are lots of bugs in parking lots.
[18:45] <KK> Bugs or food scraps dropped by customers.
[18:45] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> I was thinking the food scraps.
[18:46] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Seagulls love french fries
[18:46] <KK> Maybe a mixture.
[18:47] <~bynw> do not feed the seagulls though ...
[18:47] <HoundMistress> Lots of lights attracting them, food scraps, car grills
[18:47] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> The seagulls will happily steal your french fries and then poop on your head.
[18:47] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Better than pooping on the french fries, I suppose
[18:47] <HoundMistress> The seagulls in Galveston look kind of dirty
[18:48] <The_Bee> I've been looking for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VPjm-HGDA
[18:48] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Seagulls are one of the few birds that can poop while airbourne.  This is a good thing
[18:49] <HoundMistress> I love kittens
[18:50] <CG> [discord] <tm_9039> I do not love gulls
[18:51] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> As children we got a kick out of feeding chicken nuggets to seagulls in St Louis
[18:51] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> We thought it was hilarious
[18:51] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> did they fight each other to a bloody death over teh chicken nuggets?
[18:52] <HoundMistress> LOL  Birds are what the smaller dinosaurs morphed into
[18:53] <HoundMistress> They'll eat each other, especially eagles, hawks, etc
[18:53] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> On the boat, we use to throw bits of fish into the air and watch the seagulls swoop in and catch thems mid flight.
[18:54] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Cool
[18:54] <~bynw> when i was a kid and lived out in the country, we would set the turkey carcus outside and let the crows pick it clean
[18:54] <CG> [discord] <laurnarose> We could have as many as 20 birds doing circles around the mast waiting their turn
[18:54] <HoundMistress> My hands are cold
[18:55] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> My feet are cold!
[18:55] <HoundMistress> Mine probably are, but I don't feel them as much as my hands.
[18:56] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> I have a cat to help with my hands
[18:57] <~bynw> cats are good hand warmers
[18:58] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> My kitties like to warm up my lap. which rarely needs warming. 🙂
[18:59] <The_Bee> Your lap warms them up.
[19:00] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> That's why they sit there. Plus its really comfy.
[19:00] <HoundMistress> Has anyone tried those warming matts that work by absorbing warmth from the occupant and sends it back out to warm them?
[19:01] <KK> Sorry for the long pause. I fell into a Facebook trap when I was looking at the kitten swarm.
[19:01] <The_Bee> never heard of them.
[19:01] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> I've not heard of that! But it sounds great if they work
[19:01] <HoundMistress> I see them all the time on FB
[19:02] <The_Bee> Kitten swarm was hilarius!
[19:02] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> We loved the kitten swarm. 🙂
[19:02] <HoundMistress> It was cute!!
[19:03] <The_Bee> I thought of you folks when I saw that video.
[19:04] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/479836521864888347/1465150280713896200/20260125_190349.jpg?ex=69780f08&is=6976bd88&hm=1e65f701fff21f819c7d155f7f307f931733a48b577b4f865794e95298593094&;
[19:05] <The_Bee> Your cat?  What's the name?
[19:05] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> One of them. This one is Havoc
[19:05] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> The other is named Chaos
[19:05] <HoundMistress> Awww! Cute!!
[19:07] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/479836521864888347/1465151175388037241/image.jpg?ex=69780fdd&is=6976be5d&hm=e58375dc6945f2296699d9a3912580d3d5379240387582c5888c080f923e28ef&;
[19:08] <CG> [discord] <ninjabbo.> Awwww!
[19:08] <HoundMistress> Another cutie!
[19:08] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> That's Mousie, one of my old ladies.
[19:08] <The_Bee> catnap time
[19:09] <~bynw> Halftime: Seahawks 17, Rams 13 -- I think Seahwakws get the ball at the start of the 2nd half.
[19:10] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> I think you are correct, Bynw
[19:10] <The_Bee> Which team are you rooting for?
[19:11] <~bynw> Seahawks
[19:11] <KK> Where are they playing? Inside,  I hope.
[19:11] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Seahawks
[19:11] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Seatt;e
[19:11] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Seattle, that is
[19:11] <~bynw> no most football statiums are open to the outside
[19:11] <~bynw> but this is in the emerald city so the weather isnt that bad
[19:11] <~bynw> they really dont get a lot of snow
[19:12] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> But when they do, it's a mess
[19:13] <~bynw> true because they really dont have the equipment for it
[19:13] <The_Bee> New England beat Denver in snow.  First time they've won in Denver.
[19:13] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Denver was a mess by the end of the game
[19:14] <~bynw> yeah whiteout practically
[19:14] <~bynw> so if the Seahawks win here. then it will be a Pats vs Seahawks superbowl. and i'll cheer on the Seahawks
[19:15] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Me too, but Bee will be cheering for the Patriots
[19:15] <~bynw> yes she will be
[19:15] <~bynw> and my brother will be cheering on the Pats
[19:15] <The_Bee> Some people thought Pats would have a problem with the thin air.  guess not.
[19:16] <The_Bee> Go Drake Maye! and Vrabel.
[19:17] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> KK,  how are things doing for you overall?
[19:19] <The_Bee> change of subject: Have any of you tried those new Free View antennas/  The ones thatare supposed to be better than cable?
[19:19] <~bynw> no
[19:19] <KK> Actually gathered most of the paperwork for the first tardy tax return and took it to my accountant. Hope to have a few more for him by the end of the week.
[19:20] * The_Bee hates taxes.
[19:20] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Me too, Bee
[19:20] <~bynw> they might work better in a large city like Boston but they aren't that great in my opinion.
[19:21] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> And what have you heard from the big AI/author lawsuit, KK?
[19:21] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Lawsuit?
[19:21] <~bynw> i use youtubetv for my tv viewing
[19:21] * Quits: The_Bee (Quit: Client closed)
[19:22] <~bynw> so right now i've got split screen on my computer ... chat on one side and youtubetv on the other
[19:22] <HoundMistress> There
[19:23] <HoundMistress> s a law suit?
[19:23] * Joins: The_Bee
[19:23] <HoundMistress> WB Bee
[19:23] <The_Bee> thanks
[19:23] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> wb Bee
[19:24] <~bynw> wb Bee
[19:24] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Bartz v Anthropic. The lawsuit is against one of the AI companies for using a lot of authors' works to train their AI model.
[19:24] <The_Bee> Like MacArthur, I have returned.
[19:25] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/what-authors-need-to-know-about-the-anthropic-settlement/
[19:25] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> I know that some of KK's books are listed as sources for the AI training.
[19:25] <HoundMistress> That's pretty bad of them. But I guess they have to show them what is good, for the AI to learn?
[19:26] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Why do we need the AI to learn?
[19:26] <The_Bee> But they should give credit o the ral authors.
[19:27] <The_Bee> real authors
[19:28] <~bynw> mainly so it can write better
[19:28] <HoundMistress> Oh, yes and have permission beforehand, too.
[19:28] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> "Bartz v. Anthropic is one of the major copyright lawsuits brought by authors against an AI company for using books without permission to train large language models. It was filed by nonfiction authors Charles Graeber (The Good Nurse) and Kirk Wallace Johnson (The Feather Thief) and thriller author Andrea Bartz (We Were Never Here).
[19:28] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> In June 2025, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on summary judgment that using books without permission to train AI was fair use if they were acquired legally, but he denied Anthropic's request for summary judgment related to piracy—finding that the piracy was not fair use. Judge Alsup scheduled a trial to determine A <clipped message>
[19:28] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> nthropic's potential liability for piracy for December 1, 2025. "
[19:28] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> I'm not sure I like AI usurping literary creativity
[19:29] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Large Language Model = what we commonly call AI.
[19:30] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> I am going to toddle off now.  See everyone next week in zoom chat
[19:30] <~bynw> see you Jersuha
[19:31] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> Seeya Jerusha. We need to make an appointment to chat over stuff.
[19:31] <The_Bee> Nighters, Jerusha!
[19:31] <CG> [discord] <jerusha2> Just let me know
[19:32] <KK> Nighters, all. Next week is Zoom, I believe?
[19:32] <HoundMistress> Bye Jerusha
[19:33] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> night KK, take care
[19:33] <~bynw> yes next week is Zoom
[19:33] <The_Bee> Yep. February 1.
[19:33] <HoundMistress> Sleep tight and stay warm, KK
[19:33] <KK> I think I'll go. too. And will check with my agent re the AI question.
[19:34] <The_Bee> Good night and good week to KK and all the gang.
[19:34] <HoundMistress> Seattle is ahead.
[19:34] <HoundMistress> Night, Bee
[19:34] <CG> [discord] <stnezz> night Bee
[19:34] <~bynw> 24 to 13!
[19:34] * KK steps onto her Portal, waves goodnight, and disappears in a shower of purple sparkles.
[19:35] * The_Bee flies through her portal. fighting off snowflakes.
[19:35] * Quits: KK (Quit: Client closed)